Eventualities are Inevitable, A Zutara Story
by Meeoko
Summary: Despite their differences, Katara and Zuko are going to have to get along whilst training the Avatar. But when they are both captured in the woods by a new mysterious and dangerous enemy, will they get more than they bargained for? A Zutara fan fiction.
1. Opposites

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Master and Burning Rock part one and two.**

**Author note: Be gentle, this is my first fan fic. I'll try my best. Any reviews will be greatly appreciated. Thanks and enjoy!**

Eventualities are Inevitable

The Western Air Temple was a flurry of activity. Katara could feel the faint pounding of Aang and Toph's Earth Bending session reverberate through the old stone pillars of the upsidedown structure. Haru and The Duke were nosily banging away on some new contraption in preparation for the invasion and Sokka was clashing his sword against a wooden training dummy in the main courtyard, with Suki watching from a small alcove. Katara could hear faint grunts coming from her brother every now and then, along with the name 'Azula'.  
She sighed as she stitched hurriedly away at some tattered bead sheets.  
_Is it me or is everybody doing something more interesting than this?  
_Her attention was caught for a moment by a loud crashing sound, as the wooden dummy toppled over onto Sokka, making her jump and prick herself with the needle.

"Ow! Sokka! Will you at least keep it down when you're being attacked by viscous man-eating dummies?" she yelled out irritably before sticking her bleeding finger into her mouth. Sokka gave her a fierce look as Suki helped him up from under the dummy, giggling quietly. He blushed a fierce red colour and grunted at her.  
_Don't act like my mom in front of my girlfriend!_ Was exactly the message that Katara interpreted. She shot an irritated look back, a frown plastered onto her brow and removed her bleeding finger from her mouth long enough to stick her tongue out at her brother.

Another crash shook the halls and sent some chips of stone rattling onto the floor. Katara was beginning to get a headache.  
_Can't they cause an earthquake a little quieter?_ She though bitterly, _I do all the real work around here anyway...  
_She watched the small trickle of blood dribble down her finger and shivered a little as she though of the crooked, laughing face of Hama.  
_Congratulations Katara, you're a Blood Bender.  
_Katara shook her head to try and clear her mind of the memory. She had no intention of ever using her abilities for such an awful act of invasion. Plus, she had work to do.  
Once again threading her needle, she tried to sew up the remaining holes in each blanket whilst all around her, things crashed and banged, turning her headache into a full blown migraine.

* * *

She leant into the cool embrace of the stone pillars in the furthest and most isolated part of the Air Temple she could find, wallowing in the silence and shade. Wiping the sweat from her upper lip, Katara sank to the floor and moved her hair aside so that the cold stone could cool her neck and shoulders.  
She never had the time to braid her hair anymore. It was far less manageable now, especially in under the all-consuming heat of the Fire Nation summer, making it frizz out and tangle in the humidity. She found it constantly getting into her eyes and snagging it on the back of her pendant. Unfortunately, unmanageable hair was more practical as she didn't have to spend who knows how long taming it back into it's braid.  
_If only I was a Hair Bender._ she thought to herself, huffily tucking a rouge strand behind her ear.  
On a whim, she twisted the sweat from her body with a delicate movement of her palm and formed it into a small ball, passing it through the air as if it were flying. She wondered for a moment if she could make the ball look like a miniature Momo.

"That's pretty gross" came a voice from the shadows, startling her and making her drop her watery orb to the floor. She quickly shot up into a Water Bending pose and went to uncork her water skins.  
"Woah, slow down! It's just me!" Zuko emerged from out of the shadows, palms facing forward. Katara huffeded at him and settled down, corking her water skins again but wishing she could hit him anyway.  
"Zuko! Must you keep jumping out of the shadows at people like that? I almost iced you!"  
His lips thinned, but she could see that he tried to keep his voice as controlled as possible.  
"I wasn't sneaking. I just saw you here and -"  
"What, Jerkbender?" she interrupted, crossing her arms defensively "Decided to check up on me? To spy on me? Because I'm such a weak little Water Bender peasant that I might get lost in the big bad ruins?"

His remaining eyebrow twitched in anger and she could begin to feel heat radiating from him. A small vein began to pump in his neck, which made the dark scar upon his face seem all the more intimmidating.  
"Look Katara-"  
"No, you look, Zuko! I'm working my butt off here for these kids and the one time I want a little peace and quiet for myself, what happens? You jump out at me like a creep!"  
"What's your problem?" he demanded, his patience completely lost. Katara could feel the air around him grow warmer.  
"You are my problem, Zuko!" she shot back venomously "Sneaking around like a snoop in the shadows, scaring me to death! Don't you Fire Benders make any noise when you walk or were you just made that way to make killing people easier?"

She immediately regretted it.

Zuko's nostrils flared and steam vented from them slowly. He grit his teeth and clenched his fists together. He walked towards her.  
"Zuko, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say-"  
"Oh I know what you mean perfectly well!" he hissed, stopping a mere inch from her face "I know exactly what you mean! You still don't trust me! Even after everything that's happened, you're still too hard-headed-"  
"Hard-headed?" she snapped, staring him right back in the face, eyes ablaze.  
"Yes!" he retorted, the heat emitting from him was sweltering "You've treated me like dirt the entire time I've been here and I'm pretty sick of it! I'm here to train the Avatar, not to please her Royal Majesty of housework!"

She froze, an icy chill of rage filling her veins which almost relieved some of Zuko's immense body temperature. She spoke quietly through clenched teeth. They were so close to each other that their eyelashes almost batted together.  
"_What did you say?"_  
He smiled that grim smile she had seen him smile all those months ago in the Spirit Oasis. That smile that almost always meant trouble and completely infuriated her.

"You heard me." he replied almost calmly. She took a deep breath inward that did little to calm her raging temper, but when she replied, so tried to keep her voice low and steadied.  
"Zuko, get away from me right now. Or I won't be able to settle this with words for much longer." They both knew it was an empty threat, for Aang's sake. _But was it?  
_He puffed a stream of heat from his nose that made her stagger backwards slightly and with a face like thunder, he stalked out of the chamber with fists still clamped tightly together.

* * *

_What is her problem!  
_**Thud!  
**_She is such a know-it-all!  
_**Thud!**  
_Stupid, stupid, stupid!  
_**Thud!**

The creaking of the practice dummy told Zuko that if he were to hit it any harder, the wood would probably end up splintering. He didn't care.  
**Thud!**

As he swung for the dummy with fists and swift kicks, he began to repeat every curse word that he had learnt from the sailors aboard his ship. He thought of how unfair this all was. Just how much did he have to do to prove to her that he was good now? And why _should_ he have to anyway? The Avatar was the one person he had needed to convince and Aang had accepted him after all that he had done.  
_Why does she bother me so much?_ He thought, as he swung another kick at the faceless dummy.  
_Crack!_

The splintered wood ran up through the dummy from base to tip, a large crack in its otherwise empty body. He kicked it again regardless, a tip of flame coming through the sole of his boots.  
**Thump!  
**The dummy fell to the floor in two separate halves, a little singed in the middle where Zuko's blow had wrung true. He stood panting for a moment, sweat running from his face and neck. He pushed back his hair, sighing.  
"There's got to be an easier way" he said breathlessly to himself.  
"An easier way to what, Sparky?"  
Zuko jumped, darting around toward the noise. He was about to retort rudely when he realised it was Toph sitting atop a fallen pillar a few feet away from him, scratching at the dirt with her fingers.

"Nothing." She swirled a few small rocks in the air, flicking one in his direction every so often. He didn't even need to dodge, as she wasn't trying to hit him, just annoy him. He knew that well enough by now.  
"I really wish you wouldn't do that..." he sighed, walking towards her.  
"Hey, just because you're too busy beating up poor defencelss pieces of wood to fulfil your promise to me, doesn't mean I can't make my own fun!" she beamed up at him when he sat down beside her, rubbing the sweat from the back of his neck.  
"Toph, your feet healed fine. You can walk on them easily." he tried to reason, knowing it wouldn't get him anywhere.  
She smirked and began picking the dirt from under her toenails. Zuko made a gagging face he was glad she couldn't see.  
"I'm blind, Sparky, not stupid. I know they're healed. But until your guilty conscience is clear for burning a poor blind girls feet, you and I are going to be seeing alot more of eachother." A slight smile perked at the corner of his mouth. She always came out with such die-hard comments.  
"Okay," he agreed jokingly "but you can't use that 'poor blind girl' excuse for a whole month now!"  
She waved a hand that he assumed was supposed to be in his direction but was a little too far to the left.  
"Pfft! No way! I know I've got a good deal going on here!" She punched his shoulder lightly, that playful smirk on her face. "Anyway, I'm hungry. Sugar Queen should have made dinner by now. So Sparky, yip yip!"  
Though Zuko's shoulders slumped heavily, but he perked up regardless.  
"Come on then, Monkey Face." He got up from his seat and bent down in front of Toph, sitting astride her pillar like a gleeful ruler upon her throne. She climbed onto his back, wrapping her hands around his neck and pointed forward.  
Zuko wondered if he should tell her the kitchen was the other way, but decided against it, just happy to be with somebody who actually enjoyed his company.  
"Ew! Sparky, you stink! What did you do to that dummy? Sweat it to death?"

* * *

**Authors Notes: Well, that's Chapter One sorted. Chapter Two will be up and running asap (as soon as I figure out how to make chapters). /  
Feel free to review as all comments or input is appreciated. Will update soon.**


	2. All's fair in love and Earth Bending

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Master and Burning Rock part one and two.**

**Authors note : My first chapter was received really well. Better than I had hoped actually! So thank you to all who took the time to read, review, offer help and input to better my writing. You guys are all brill. Keep on reviewing!**

**Chapter Two - 'All's fair in love and Earth Bending'**

Zuko made his way toward the eating area, with Toph bouncing lightly on his back. Every now and then, she would Earth Bend up crags in the earth to try and trip him up, but he never faltered.  
"Aw Sparky! You're no fun!" she chided, trying again in vain to make him lose his footing. Zuko smirked and bounced her higher up onto his back.

Really, he let Toph get away with murder. If anybody else had ever dared to call him 'Sparky', they would have been on the receiving end of a fireball.  
'Zu-zu' was bad enough!  
But he liked Toph. When he had first arrived at the Western Air Temple, seeking to join the Avatar's group, she had been the only one to give him a chance – even after he had accidentally burnt her feet. She was like the little sister that had never tried to kill him, he mused humorously.

They approached the campfire. The entire gang was seated around it, including the newest additions to the group; The Duke, Haru, Teo, Suki and Hakoda. In the centre of the campfire, was a bubbling pot of something that smelled rather good. Above it stood Katara, spoon in hand and a grouchy expression when she spotted him coming. He tried his best to ignore her and keep up his good mood.  
"I guess you're just going to have to try harder, aren't you, Monkey face?" Zuko prompted back to Toph. She didn't need asking twice.

Raising her slender fists in the air, she began punching at the air above her head, still on his back. The ground beneath Zuko began to rumble. The rest of the gang looked over to them, also hearing the rumbling with raised eyebrows. Zuko waited tensely for something more, but nothing came.  
"I think you're losing your touch." he remarked.  
"Or am I?" Toph asked back cunningly.

Right away, slabs of circular rock footholds began to jab out underneath Zuko's feet, his body rising and falling uncomfortably in order to keep his balance. He tried to pad away through the seemingly alive disks of rock, but noticed that Toph had surrounded him with two square feet of shuddering, moving earth. He twitched, shifting his weight quickly from foot to foot, moving neither forward or backwards.  
"Hey! You tricked me!"  
"Let's pick up the pace!" Toph beamed, completely joyous at Zuko's pitiful attempts to keep her on his back. Moving her palms upwards, the disks of earth shot up and down at double speed so that they looked like one singular brown blob.

Zuko hopped around frantically like a rabbit on fire, tilting horribly back and forth, his centre of balance completely off as he tried to stay upright and keep Toph from falling off his back. Toph clapped in triumph, her mouth falling open in hysterical laughter as Zuko seemingly ran on the spot to keep himself (and her) upright. The group around the fire began to giggle. Even Hakoda couldn't help a playful smile passing his lips. Katara gripped her spoon and laughed quite happily as poor Zuko hopped about. _Payback time!_

"Look guys!" Toph cried to them. "I've tamed the wild Fire Bender!" She made a show of waving her hands in the air, as if she were riding Zuko.  
The group fell about laughing around the fire, tears springing to their eyes. Sokka toppled backwards from his seat, clutching his sides. Teo rocked back and forth in his chair, with The Duke supporting himself on the wheel as they laughed out loud. Though Suki tried to remain composed, a fit of giggles left her hunched over laughing, unable to breathe.

"Forget Giant Koi Fish!" Aang spat out through bouts of laughter "That looks _way_ more fun!"  
Clapping her hands, Toph's arsenal of swelling earth clumps ceased their pounding and returned into the ground below.  
Zuko almost collapsed from relief as his feet touched down onto the unmoving floor and let him regain his breath. With wobbly legs, he bent down to let Toph off his back, still feeling the vibrations of the pounding in the soles of his feet.  
"You...are...worse...than...Azula..." he panted feebly at Toph's smirking face

Toph seemed to take this as a compliment and threw her shoulders back proudly, teeth visible from her gigantic grin.  
"Of course I am, Sparky! There's not a Bender alive who doesn't fear me!"  
She left him to breathe raggedly in a sweaty, dirty heap on the floor. Walking toward the campfire and the promise of food, her grin didn't fade.  
"I think you might have broken your slave" The Duke laughed to Toph, pointing at Zuko, who was now sprawled on his back.  
Everyone snickered, trying to contain their laughing fits behind palms and hunched shoulders.  
"Nah, I think he's still got a month or two's worth left in him!" she joked, lying back against a stone pillar.

Zuko slapped his forehead whilst he still lay on the floor.

* * *

After a particularly disturbing conversation involving her Stewed Sea Prunes during dinner, Katara watched everybody head off to bed or into different directions.  
She sat around the dying embers of the camp fire with her father, Hakoda, who wiped at the very bottom of his bowl with a finger and licked away some untouched Sea Prune Stew. She stuck her tongue out.  
"Dad, that's disgusting!" she gagged.  
Hakoda guiltily slurped away the last visible tendril of Sea Prune hanging from his mouth and set the bowl down.

"That was wonderful, Katara." he praised "It's just like being back at The Southern Water Tribe!" Katara beamed at her father, glad to feel appreciated.  
"Thanks dad. I've had to learn a few things during the time you were gone. Some things came in really handy while we were travelling, but some things I think that Gran-Gran just taught me because she wanted me to do them for her!"

Hakoda's thoughts drifted back to the old woman and he laughed heartily.  
"Yes, I'm sure that scraping away her bunions wasn't a particularly called-upon life skill during your travels!" They both began to giggle stupidly at the fond memory.  
"Yeah, it was pretty gross. Sokka got out of it once by getting two fish hooks stuck in his thumb!"  
Her fathers eyebrow raised. "_Two_ fish hooks?"  
She rolled her eyes "He tried to get the first fish hook out with another fish hook"  
They looked at each other for a moment and burst out laughing simultaneously.

Grabbing her in a fatherly bear-hug, Hakoda sighed as he embraced his daughter.  
"I've missed this."  
Katara looked up at him, a sad smile playing on her lips.  
"Me too, dad. Me too."  
They remained in silence for a moment before Hakoda moved away and trudged off dreamily to his sleeping quarters, wishing her a good night.

Katara sat contentedly by the fire for several minutes with her eyes closed, breathing in the musky smell of wood smoke.  
A rattling sound startled her a little and she opened them.  
Zuko was standing across the now dying fire clutching a stack of dirty pots, pans and bowls in one hand stacked together. Katara frowned, but decided not to make too much of a fuss. It was late and she didn't want her good mood _completely_ ruined.  
"Zuko, what are you doing?"  
He replied quietly, as if he were treading on egg-shells. "I thought you might want help with the dishes."  
He seemed to be able to balance everything evenly and neatly. His stance was sure and confident as though he had washed and stacked dishes a thousand times before. This really annoyed Katara, though she couldn't quite figure out why.  
Standing up from her seat, she crossed over the dying fire toward him.

"I'm a _Water Bender_, genius. I'll have these done in a matter of minutes." she reached out to take the crockery from him. He resisted, holding them slightly out of her reach with as much ease and gracefulness as if he were holding a paper Turtleduck.  
"Really, Zuko, I'm okay with it. Now will you just give them here!" Katara reached again for the pile in his hands, only to be denied yet again. Her patience began to waver and she caught sight of a flimsy, almost fake smile on his lips, as if he were dealing with something rather painful.  
"Well, I could dry them for you." he suggested, still holding them out of reach.  
Katara stretched higher on tiptoe, swerving around him tactfully but still unable to find a better angle to grasp the pots from him. "I haven't got anything else to do. Really Katara, it's no problem!" He had a strange tone in his voice. It sounded like he was pleading with her.

Katara's eyebrow twitched, but she stopped trying to snatch the pans from him.  
_Perhaps he's just trying to be helpful._  
"You're pushing your luck, Zuko." then she lowered her voice so low, it was almost a hushed whisper "But, I guess I _could_ use a hand cleaning up."  
Zuko could tell by her voice that she wasn't about to admit she wanted his help but was willing to let him anyway. It wasn't easy for her to accept his offer. Though she complained about all the chores and housework she had to do, he had a nagging suspicion that she liked having to play the mother and doing things her way.  
_I won't ruin it for her. Let her be the boss if she wants.  
_  
She beckoned to a corner of the temple where a stream of water ran through a trough in the floor and over the edge into the chasm below. "I wash. You dry."  
_Perhaps things will get easier,_ they both thought in unison as they began to wash and dry the dishes.

* * *

**Authors Note : Phew! This was quite a long chapter. But when you've gotta write - you've gotta write! In this chapter, I wanted to convey a bit more Zuko-Toph time into the plot and get some good natured jokes flinging around. I really love the friendship between Zuko and Toph and thought it would be a good vantage point into each characters relationships with one another.  
Also worked on some dad'n'daughter time for Hakoda and Katara. He's been away far too long...**

Authors Note 2 : So, Katara and Zuko are slowly working things out. But you know them! Who knows what they'll be like next chapter? Have fun, enjoy and keep on reviewing!


	3. Allience in dirty dishes

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Master and Burning Rock part one and two.**

**Authors Note : You guys have been really supportive whilst I've been writing this. Thanks for being patient and reviewing.**

* * *

The fireflies danced in the late night sky. Badgerfrog's croaked merrily in the distance and the intense heat finally began to abate and drift away with the nights shadows.

Zuko sat near the temples edge, his chest rising and falling gently as he gulped down the soothing air. Katara placed the last clean dish onto a neatly stacked pile in the corner. She looked up and saw him sitting there quietly. Taking a deep breath, she walked toward where he sat, promising to herself that their conversation wouldn't end in harsh words.

They had worked in complete silence whilst they had washed the dishes; Katara swirling a hand gloved in water over each messy pan and handing it to Zuko, who held it in his own rapidly heating palm until all the drips of water inside evaporated into steam and all the plates were clean and shining.

She was about to say something as she stood behind him, but he spoke first.

"I always liked the night life, especially when I was the Blue Spirit." his voice was completely emotionless, but in a way that made him seem at peace. "Everything would just slow down. People would move away and everything would just.." he thought for a moment "..stop."

Katara could relate. There was nothing more to worry about at night. No more chores, training or battles.

"I've always felt more at home during the night" she replied, her voice just as emotionless and serene. "It was always really dark at the South Pole during the coldest winter seasons. The sun wouldn't appear for weeks at a time and everyone in the village would all huddle around a huge fire and just laugh and tell stories to wait out the darkness."

Neither Katara or Zuko looked at each other as she sat down beside him, their legs hanging over the edge of the temple. All that they could see below them was the utter darkness of the chasm walls and the unimaginable drop below.

"Aren't you tired?" Zuko asked her, still looking out into the darkness.

"No. Why should I be?" she asked him, a little defiant "Water Benders are strongest when the moon is in the sky, you know." She pointed up into the air, where a tell-tale full moon hung motionless in the dark, whispers of a cloud covering it every now and then.

Zuko smiled. "No wonder I had so much trouble with you at the Spirit Oasis."

Katara chose not to answer him, trying not to think of that day at the Northern Water Tribe where so many sacrifices were made, so many injustices done. Bringing it back up would just cause an argument. Instead, she asked him something that led away from the delicate subject.

"And aren't _you_ tired, Zuko? Seeing how Fire Benders rise with the sun and all. It's way past your bed time." she mocked gently, smiling at the darkened chasm below.

A puff of air that could have been laughter blew from between his lips. Out of the corner of her eye, Katara could see him shrug and place both his hands behind his head, stretching himself out.

"I just...like the night life."

After sitting in silence for several minutes, looking out at the stars and gathering fire flies, Katara stood up to go to bed.

"I'm a little tired, so I'm going to go to bed."

A long silence stretched between them. Katara stood where she was, quite unsure as to wether Zuko was ignoring her or just hadn't heard. Eventually, he shrugged his shoulders again, still not turning to face her.

"Goodnight." he replied simply, still content to breathe in the night air, swinging his legs lazily over the side of the temple, oblivious to the drop below.

Katara rolled her eyes, but chose not to say anything. Before she was out of hearing distance, Katara stopped and thought.

"Zuko?"

A pause. "Yeah?"

She bit her lip for a moment, regarding wether she should give him the satisfaction. Eventually, her friendly nature won over her grudge.

"Thank you."

Without waiting for a reply, she headed off in the direction of the sleeping chambers, her soft footfalls padding lightly against the stone. With eyes closed, Zuko smiled to himself, unsure what she had thanked him for: helping with the dishes or just taking the time to listen.

* * *

"Come on Aang! Time to practice your Water Bending!"

Katara leant over the sleepy-eyes Avatar, whose face was perilously close to drooping into his breakfast. Aang blinked with heavy eyelids, dark circles ringing each eye.

_What made her so happy this morning?_ He thought to himself.

Katara prodded him again.

"Aang, you should really make a move if you want to get, Fire, Water and Earth Bending practice in today."

The Avatar groaned, like a mopey teenager stripped hurriedly from their bed into the cool of the morning. Katara frowned, but he could tell it wasn't going to affect her determination.

"Hey, don't make me go all 'Sifu Katara' on your butt."

At this comment, the young Air Bender managed a faint, sleepy smile. He thought it was funny how Katara had criticised Master Pakku's teaching all those months ago, and even challenged him to a battle in a fury because he had refused to teach a woman. Although he had finally agreed to teach her, it was always strange to see her refer to her 'Sifu' role when she herself was so alike the old Water Bending Master. Especially when she got into one of her defiant moods.

"I'm sorry, Katara." he confessed "I'm just not used to this new sleep pattern Zuko's gotten me into." Yawning loudly, he stretched his arms and arched his back. "Waking up at dawn for meditation has to be a crime of some sort."

She smiled tenderly at her young protégé and friend. She looked at Aang as if he were her brother, determined to help and protect him. Without him, she never would have learnt to use her Water Bending skills, travelled around the world or met any of the people that she now loved as much as if they were her own family. When she and Sokka had discovered him in the iceberg all those months ago, she couldn't have even begun to imaging exactly what they were in for.

Aang meant a great deal to her.

Although he was only twelve years old, Aang had had to dive directly into adulthood, taking on responsibilities she sometimes worried were too much for his slight shoulders. The Avatar's responsibilities were hard enough, without the worry of a world war and the little amount of time he had had to learn what most Avatar's took years to master. Being the Avatar certainly was a burden to bare.

"Well, nobody said this was going to be easy, Aang. Now come on. I promise I'll go easy on you."

At first, the Avatar looked a little irked about being reminded of just exactly how urgent his situation was. Katara wondered if she had said the right thing, but after a moment, he rubbed his eyes and the slight hint of a smile appeared on his face.

"Okay, Kata-" he scolded himself for forgetting "_Sifu_ Katara. Let's go."

Putting a defensive arm around his shoulders, Katara led Aang away to the fountain where they could practice in comfort.

"Perhaps we should start making Toph get up early" Katara commented as they walked away, pointing in the direction of Toph's earth tent, where noisy snoring could be heard coming from inside.

"Don't count on it" Aang replied.

Walking toward the fountain, they both laughed.

**Authors Notes : This chapter wasn't as long as the previous two. Sorry about taking a while to submit it, it's been pretty busy at college. This chapter was just a more mellow take on Avatar living. P**


	4. Firewood and Worries

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters and Burning Rock part one and two.**

**Authors Note : You guys have been really supportive whilst I've been writing this. Thanks for being patient and reviewing. Sorry for the delay. Will be updating a lot more often now that college is finished.**

* * *

The sweltering heat of afternoon was slowly cooling down to a more mild evening temperature. Katara wiped the sweat from her upper lip and looked skyward from her private perch in a secluded corner of the Air Temple. She had decided to sit away from the manic fray of the day. Her training with Aang had finished for the day and she realised sadly, that all that awaited her back at camp was more cooking, mending and general motherly chores.

_Why doesn't anybody else ever help with the work?_ She thought, a little bitterly.

So she had decided to crawl away for an hour or two and enjoy the solitude and respite from her work. Who'd have thought an abandoned air temple would be so...messy?  
From her perch, she could see the general layout of the Northern Air Temple without being discovered herself. She also received the most luscious scent of pine needles, carried by a merciful wind from across the other side of the gigantic chasm that separated their small group from the rest of civilisation.

_...and attack._

Arching her back and sprawling her legs outwards, Katara tried not to think of all the time they had wasted while staying at the Temple. Sure, there was security and a place to sleep without constant threat of the Fire Nation Army, but Sozin's Comet was soon to arrive. She wondered if Aang was ready. If _they_ were ready to face the Fire Lord.

_What if something goes wrong? What if we can't...don't win?_ She shivered, but not from the wind.  
Her previously happy mood had now dissipated completely into silenced terror.  
Katara shut her eyes for what seemed like a very long time. Breathing in the spicy scent of Fire Nation forestry, she tried to forget anything and everything that was bothering her. Perhaps it would all work out. Surely Sokka and her father had worked out some sort of attack plan by now?

When she opened her eyes, she realised that she had been sitting down for much longer than she had first planned. The sun was lower in the sky, with almost three hours of light left before darkness overtook them.  
Slapping her forehead, she remembered that there wasn't nearly enough firewood left to cook dinner with.

_I should have done that hours ago!_

Grumbling to herself, she rubbed down her legs (as they had fallen asleep), got up and shivering slightly against the chilly breeze, headed for the campfire.

* * *

Trudging back to the campfire on heavy feet, Katara was greeted by a barrage of angry protest.

"Hey sis, where's dinner already?" Sokka whined.

"Yeah, Sugar Queen – I'm starving!"

"Where's the food?"

"I'm hungry!" The Duke clutched his rumbling stomach feebly.

Gritting her teeth, Katara tried to maintain a composed attitude. She took a deep breath before answering, directing her answer to her brother, as she could afford to act aggressive toward him without too much trouble.

"Well, as you're all so eager to eat, I wonder why none of you thought to gather any more firewood so that I _can_ cook."

A giggle escaped from Aang. Katara immediately shot him daggers, now completely uninterested in pleasantries. "What?"

He stopped himself and looked insanely guilty and his cheeks turned red. He directed his reply to something particularly interesting that he had spotted on the floor.

"It's...it's nothing, Katara. I was just..."

"Just what, Aang?" she huffed back "Please tell me what's so funny."

"You...you just said '_can_ cook'. I thought it was...uhm, well...kinda funny."

"Yeah sis, Aang has a point." Sokka waved his boomerang around lazily in one hand, twirling it beteween thumb and forefinger. Behind Katara, Aang waved frantically at him, trying to avoid the coming crisis.

_Shut up, Sokka. You're gonna get me in trouble!_

She raised her eyebrow at him, willing her brother to continue.

"Well, you aren't exactly the best cook ever, Katara. So when you said '_can_ cook', it was kinda funny. Because...you know, you can't."

Katara's cheeks reddened. She turned to Aang with a face like thunder, who slapped his forehead.

"Is that what you think, Aang? That I'm a lousy cook?"

"No, Katara! You're cooking is very...different." A huge frown distorted her face and she stuck out her bottom lip.

"Well, if it's so awful, then why are you all staring at me like this because I haven't fed you my_ terrible_ cooking?"

She was greeted by silence. Just then, her father strode out from inside the temple. He looked quizzically and the unsettling display of completely silent teenagers.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Nothing." Katara replied sulkily, staring individually at everyone present at the circle. "I'm just going to gather some firewood." She turned to walk away before Hakoda placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Not alone you're not. It's nearing dark and you don't know the lay of the land."  
She tried to shrug him off, but he just shot her a stern 'Do As I Say' fatherly look, stopping her short.

"I can go by myself, Dad. It's just firewood."

"You aren't stepping foot out of here on your own." his gaze told her that he was serious. He had gone into over-protective father mode and there wasn't much she could do to change his mind. "Zuko, why don't you go with her?" he suggested, pointing to Zuko, sitting against a pillar away from the group. Katara hadn't even realised he was there. Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"Me?" he asked stupidly.

"Yes you." Hakoda replied, but with a gentle smile "I know you'll watch out for her. After all your help at The Boiling Rock, I think I can trust you."  
Zuko wasn't sure wether to be overjoyed at his acceptance into the group or to quail in fear at the look Katara was giving him.

"I don't know. Maybe Sokka should..."

"Yeah dad. I'll be fine."

But Hakoda insisted.

"Nonsense. It's getting dark and Zuko can provide you with some light. Plus, he knows exactly what to expect and avoid around the countryside."  
Katara glared at her father horribly, but he seemed not to notice.

"Just make sure you're back before it gets too dark." he chided, in his fatherly tone. Katara rolled her eyes, and Zuko blushed slightly as the entire party watched them trudge away from the campfire with hunched shoulders.

"And bring back some meat!" Sokka shouted after them as they strode away.

* * *

They walked through the dank catacombs of the Temple to reach the surface. The catacombs involved a series on hidden passages, tunnels and secret switches activated by air. They walked in complete silence, Katara furious and impassive and Zuko uncomfortable and unwilling to test the woman scorned.  
Several times, they found themselves losing their way or meeting a dead-end. There was once instance where their path had been blocked by an Air Nomad door, that needed an Air Bender to open. As none of them had the ability to use Air Bending or to even create the illusion of it to fool the door into opening (Zuko tried using steam and Katara tried mist), they had to re-direct themselves in an entirely different direction until they found a way out.

When they reached the surface, they realised that almost an hour had passed since they set out to gather the wood in the first place. This didn't help to improve Katara's already miserable mood.

"Perhaps we should find a different way up next time." Zuko suggested. Katara completely ignored him, still in a silent fury from her father unjust 'orders' and the gangs childish attitudes.

_What am I, their mother?_

The entrance of the catacombs opened up into a small rounded clearing in the surrounding woods, strewn with the remnants of old stone structures and statues of the Air Nomads. Katara thought that if she saw one more decoration, painting or sculpture of a Flying Bison, she would go insane.

"You'll find the driest wood inland. The recent rainfall wouldn't have been able to reach it under the canopies."  
Katara's reply was a monosyllabic grunt and shoulder shrug. Zuko tried incredibly hard not to roll his eyes – or at least when she was looking.

Lighting a tiny flame in his palm, he walked toward an opening in the woods. Katara had no choice but to follow him.  
He led the way into the tree's, parting any obstructions with a swift slice from one of the double swords strapped across his back, the tiny flame delicately balanced in the centre of his other hand. He seemed to jump and swerve so quickly between the tree's, slicing and hacking, not even breaking a sweat.

_Why does he have to be so good at everything?_ Katara grumbled inwardly, following raggedly behind with short breaths and crossed arms.

She watched him sidestep roots easily and clamber among higher branches to strike down any hanging vines or obstacles. Other than their light source, he didn't use his Fire Bending. Creating any larger fire in such a dense forest would be idiotic and more importantly - suicidal!

_Show-off. _She thought.

Finally, they stopped. Zuko seemed to have dubbed it worthy to collect, Katara thought spitefully.

_It's just firewood! What does it matter?_

Spreading out, they began to gather large handfuls of twigs and logs. Katara noticed grudgingly that the wood was completely dry. The rain hadn't been able to reach this far down into the tree's.  
Neither of them spoke. In fact, nobody had said a single word since leaving the mouth of the catacombs.  
Although she didn't want to have to, Katara tried to stay within ten feet of Zuko, as he held the only source of light glowing in his palm. After a while, clutching her bundle of firewood, Katara tried to judge how much time had passed. But when she looked upwards, she realised that the sky just wasn't there. She couldn't see a single thing through the large bulk to leafy treetops above. There was no way of knowing how much time had elapsed until they left the woods again.

Katara cringed inwardly at the thought of her father running into the woods all gun-ho like a mad man, hell bent on rescuing her from the wrath of the scary wood spirits.

Suddenly, they heard the snap of a twig from inside the forest. They both tensed, dropping their firewood and immediately taking up their bending poses.

"Zuko?" she whispered, rigid with worry.

Zuko raised a finger to his lips, the flame in his hand still alight as Katara silently uncorked her water skins, letting her silky weapons swirl in midair. She worried the sparkling water might direct unwanted attention.  
They stood, completely tense for what seemed an eternity. They each strained their ears and eyesight to pick up any source of surrounding life.

_Please don't be Azula._ Katara pleaded to a silent force._ Just be an animal. Please don't be Azula._

It was then they were attacked.

* * *

**Authors Note: Ooh, what's going to happen? Dun dun duuuunnnn! Guess you'll just have to wait and find out, huh? Hope you guys liked this chapter. I thought it would be un-realistic of Katara to be in a happy mood all the time (as we all know how short a temper she has), so this chapter really deals with the worries of Sozin's Coment, Aang's training etc.**

**Plus, Hakoda's unwanted 'suggestion' lol.**

**Parents...**


	5. Imprisonment

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters and Burning Rock part one and two.**

**Authors Note : Wow, two chapters done in one day – I'm on a roll. I'm really starting to get into the swing of this story now. Thanks to all my regular readers and reviewers for all of their encouragement.**

* * *

There was a flurry of activity.

Endless streams of warriors burst fourth from between the trees and bushes, all decked in black. Katara's water whip sent several of them careening back into the shadows, the spray of water sparkling in the twilight.

Zuko tried to fend them off using his one drawn sword, the other hand desperately trying to nurse the tiny flame so that it wouldn't go out or catch fire to the surrounding trees.  
Sending spurts of ice arrows toward a hooded attacker and pinning them to a tree, Katara fended off another attacker from behind with a swift kick, her leg engulfed in water.

"I can't fight like this!" Zuko called to Katara, between parried blows with his own attacker, armed with a broad sword. Without its twin blade to help it, he wasn't sure the steel could withstand much longer against the heavier metal. "And I can't bend in the forest! It's too dangerous!"

She ducked under another hooded attacker, sending them upwards with a watery blow only to be attacked again from behind.  
"Put your fire out, Zuko!" she called back. He could hear the strain in her voice as the constant waves of attack began to take its toll. Enemies seemed to emerge from nowhere, as if they were coming from the very shadows themselves.

"But-" he sidestepped a swing of the broadsword, barely moving away in time "-you can't see!"  
A swift kick hit him from behind in the small of his back. He flinched, but swung around with a stern kick of his own, hitting the assailant square in the stomach.

"Just do it, Zuko!" Katara called back. She grunted as she was grabbed from behind, her arms pinned to her sides, rending her unable to bend. Zuko's eyes narrowed into enraged slits distorting the scarred side of his face into an even more terrifying sight.

Without thinking twice, he snuffed out the flame in his palm.  
Releasing the second sword from its hold, he deflected the attacker with the broadsword, sidestepped and slammed against them as hard as he could. His opponent swerved, losing their footing and fell face first into a tree trunk, knocking them unconscious.

He immediately ran to Katara's aid. He found his way in the dark easily. His days as The Blue Spirit had taught him some things.  
Katara struggled under the attackers grip, kicking furiously. Her power was in her bending, not her physical strength.  
A dull thud sounded behind her and the grip on her arms slackened and let go. Turning, she saw the attacker limp on the ground, a black smudge on a grey surface.

"Zuko!" she called "Where are you?"  
She jumped when a small breath of flame escaped from his lips, illuminating them for a second. He was directly by her side, swords drawn and a look of fury in his eyes.  
His momentary light source also revealed a most unwelcome sight.

They were completely surrounded. Black clad figures were everywhere! Along the edges of trees, crouched in branches and dangling overhead from vines.

_We can't keep this up. I can't bend!_ Zuko thought in a panic, though his face showed no signs of worry.

"Where's Azula?" he yelled into the now silent crowd of black figures.  
Katara didn't know how he could sound so calm. The pure rage on his face reminded her of their battle at the Spirit Oasis. She was terrified of that face.

The surrounding figures remained completely motionless. Nobody spoke.  
Zuko and Katara circled, each back to back, trying to find any escape route. Zuko let loose a small breath of fire every few moments to illuminate their surroundings, but everywhere was blocked. The silence was eerie.

"Where is she?" he demanded, his calm sipping away "Answer me!"  
_Where are they all coming from? Who are they?_

He heard a soft puff of air and a yelp of pain next to him.  
He turned to Katara, eyes dancing with fire, swords ready. A small dart was lodged in her forearm, shaped like a Humming-wasp.

Her eyes began to blur and roll back in her head. She swayed on the spot.  
"Zuko..." he caught her in his arms just before she fell. She was stone cold and completely still.  
"Katara! Wake up!" he called to her helplessly, before a pin-prick struck the back of his shoulder. Flinching, he tried to reach around and pull out the dart.  
His strength began to fail him.  
He couldn't concentrate on anything, everything was blurred. His head span, disorientating him.

His head hit the floor as he fell backwards, pulling Katara on top of him. Her curly hair brushed against his face, her own weight pinning him down. He struggled against the exhausting powers of the dart, but his strength had completely left him. Hakoda's words rang in his head.  
_I know you'll watch out for her. I think I can trust you.  
_  
Before he gave in to the lulling call of sleep, he saw a pair of black boots striding towards them.

* * *

_His wrists hurt, the ropes cut into them.  
When he struggled, they bled and scraped.  
There was black everywhere. Everyone was wearing black. Faces blurred into each other. He couldn't recognise one from another._

He was subjected to questions.  
"Why are you here?"  
"Where is the Avatar hiding?"  
He refused to answer.  
Fists connected with his ribs, his face. He remembered blood. His blood.  
Hours passed in darkness.

"_Don't hurt her!" he begged. "She hasn't done anything, just let her go!" There was pain. Things might have been broken, he wasn't sure. He kept asking for her._

"_Where is she? Where is Katara? Don't hurt her! Hurt me! Just leave her alone!"  
His head was pulled backward to stare into the eyes of someone. He remembered they were hurtful, evil eyes of gold._

"_You will cooperate with us, Prince. We know who you are and what you are doing. You will tell us everything or face the consequences."_

_He remained silent. He couldn't breath.  
"Where is she?"  
More blows. More agony.  
Pain wracked his senses. He coughed up something sickly and metallic. Injuries blurred together in one ball of overwhelming pain.  
There was too much to bare. Too much pain. Too much blood.  
He fell back into slumber._

* * *

He awoke to the sound of crying.  
Pain exploded in his muscles.  
He found he couldn't open his eyes. They seemed to be sealed shut.  
Slowly and painstakingly, he tried to open them by moving the muscles in his face. Something crumbled away, falling down his face. He blinked open. Blood. His eyes had been almost covered over with dried blood.

He expected to be blinded by light in a Fire Nation prison. But there was just a dim darkness, a light source coming from somewhere he couldn't see. It was almost like evening turning into night. The crying continued.  
His throat was parched. He tried to lick his lips.  
It was unbearably hot. He sensed that there was dry steam being pumped into the room from somewhere.

He croaked into the dim light. "Katara?"  
The crying subsided slightly. He heard someone sniff.  
"Zuko?" he saw her pale, tear stained face looking back at him from between a set of bars.  
Her hands were chained behind her back and she sat in an iron cage, her clothing ragged and dirty. Her hair was plastered to her face with sweat.  
He breathed a sigh of relief to see that she wasn't hurt.  
Zuko tried to get his muscles to cooperate so he could move to help her. The clinking of metal told him otherwise. His wrists and ankles were connected to a cold stone wall by iron chains.  
_I can't bend._ He realised with horror.  
All he had was his breath of fire and that wasn't going to help him now. His swords and dagger had disappeared, along with Katara's waterskins.

"Zuko, are you okay? What have they done to you?" Her voice sounded close to breaking. Zuko hoped that she wouldn't start to cry.

"Are...are you okay?" he rasped.  
His throat tickled and he stifled a coughing fit. He sounded as if he were an old man with a cough, he pictured Toph doing a stupid impression of his new voice.

Katara laughed. It was a little, panicked laugh. "You idiot. I'm fine. I'm more worried about you."  
He wasn't sure why, but his heart began to beat just a little faster. He managed a tight, painful smile.  
His scar throbbed uncomfortably, as if it were healing anew.

"Is it really that bad?" he asked, trying his best to sound light hearted.  
He saw her face fall and her eyes begin to well up. She bit her bottom lip and lowered her head, curling into herself as much as her chains would allow.  
"Don't." he said. It wasn't a request. He needed her to be strong for the moment.  
She seemed to understand and took a few moments to compose herself.

"I could hear you screaming." Katara whispered to him, head bent low "I could hear them hurting you."  
They remained in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Zuko couldn't bear to look at her. Couldn't bear to see her look at him like that, with those eyes.  
She was pitying him. She sniffed, her chains clinking behind her as she tried to position herself more comfortably. Finally, he spoke.  
"How long have we been here?"  
Her bottom lip wobbled, but she kept it under control. She looked away from him.  
"I'm not sure. I think it's been three or four days. This is the first time I've seen you...awake."  
He chose not to answer, asking a different question.  
"You're not hurt though? They haven't hurt you?"  
She shook her head.  
"I'm fine. They questioned me about Aang, but I didn't say a word. They won't give me any water unless I'm completely immobile and it's just so dry in here. Nothing to bend. No water at all. I can't do a thing. This place is exactly how Hama described it..."

Zuko tried to raise an eyebrow, but found it far too painful. Instead, he simply asked her.  
"Who's Hama?"  
A single tear fell from her cheek as she looked at him and tried her best to form a limp smile.  
"Long story."

They remained in silence for a moment.  
Keeping his gaze on the floor, he could hear Katara shuffle over to the edge of her prison, to get as close to him as possible. Though they were only ten feet away from each other, it felt much farther.  
"Zuko. Are-are you...Does it...hurt?"

Zuko's clothes felt stiff and ragged, they smelled horribly of blood and sweat.  
Half of his shirt had been torn off to reveal deep purple bruising along his chest and collarbone. Small cuts seemed to be everywhere, dried over and covered in filth. His mouth tasted of blood and dirt.  
Every muscle in his body protested when he tried to hold himself upright in his bonds and lean against the stone. He grit his teeth, sucking in a pained hiss.  
"I'll be fine." he croaked. His voice was barely above a hoarse whisper. His breath was rasping and deep. He suspected several of his ribs might be broken.

_I wonder if I look as bad as I feel._

"I heard what you said, Zuko."  
He froze, even pausing mid breath. "You kept asking for me. You begged them not to..."  
He didn't look at her. Nothing in the world could make him look at her now.  
"Zuko, I-"

A door burst open from across the room, flooding the darkness with light and completely blinding them. A figure stood in the doorway, blurred by the overwhelming light.  
"So, my reports were correct. Fire Prince Zuko and the Avatar's Water Bending Teacher..."

* * *

**Authors Note : Aww, poor Zuko. Such a nice guy. Katara better be damn grateful, is all I can say! Well, I control what she says...so guess she hasn't got much choice. P  
Got so involved in this today, I did two chapters in one go. Hopefully, my battle scenes didn't disappoint. So, who's the mysterious figure? And what do they want with Sparky and Sugar Queen? You'll have to wait and see.**

**Thanks again to all of you who've been reviewing and giving me encouragement throughout the beginning. You guys are the ones who make this all worthwhile. Keep on reading – will update asap.**


	6. The Face Of The Enemy

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters and Burning Rock part one and two.**

**Authors Note : Three chapters in one day! I'm either really sad or just really good. This chapter is my longest yet and it's all very angsty. But you know the gang, they have their ways of coping.  
I'd be pretty damn angsty myself if I were put in this situation.  
I wonder if anybody has noticed yet, that every chapter I switch the perspective from Zuko to Katara. This is so you can get both sides of the story and understand how they're both feeling. (Add's to the gradual build-up of Zutara-ness)**

* * *

As Katara's eyes adjusted to the sudden burst of light filling the room, the figure standing in the doorway began to take form.  
He was a rather bulky man, with long brown hair and a rather fish-like face. She could clearly tell he was Fire Nation, as he proudly wore the Fire Nation uniform with a broad, cocky stride. His lips bulged out from his jutting, arrogant chin and he held himself highly with hands on hips (most likely to hide his obvious pot-belly).

Out of the corner of her eye, she heard Zuko's swear softly and his whole body stiffen.

_Please don't hurt him anymore._ she begged silently to an unknown source. _Please don't hurt him.  
_  
The large man strode into the room with the air of great importance, though Katara guessed it was a self-imposed importance.  
It seemed all men in the Fire Nation had the need to make themselves feel important.

_Surely not another unfortunate relative of Zuko's? _Katara thought with an inward plea.

He stopped dead in front of Zuko, paying her almost no mind at all.  
Katara wasn't sure if she should feel annoyed at being shunned or relieved to have been left alone.  
She shuffled around in her cage so that she could still see Zuko, her arms aching from underneath their iron bonds.  
She noticed that Zuko was trying incredibly hard not to meet the man's gaze.

"So, Prince Zuko" he stated triumphantly "We meet again."  
Katara was confused.

_Again? Who is this man?  
_  
The man continued. "I wasn't about to sit back and let you get away so easily after all the trouble you caused me."  
Zuko still refused to meet his gaze.  
Katara could see the man's shoulders stiffen. She willed Zuko to give him what he wanted. This was clearly a man who got what he wanted.  
True to his word, the man's voice lowered into a threatening growl.  
"Look at me when I'm talking to you."  
Zuko remained silent.

The man's powerful hand reached out and clasped around Zuko's neck, forcing his head upwards. Katara gasped.  
"I said" the man seethed "_look at me._"  
Zuko didn't have much choice but to cooperate. Katara could see he was having enough trouble breathing from his injuries without his oxygen supply being cut off. She worried there might be some internal damage.

_If only I had some water. _She wished desperately. _I could heal him.  
_  
Zuko slowly and painstakingly raised his golden eyes to meet the mans own, an awful look etched into his features. For a moment, Katara thought it could have been – _guilt?  
_She was surprised when Zuko spoke up, even with the beatings he'd received and a bulky hand clasped around his neck.  
"Hello, Warden."  
The man – The Warden, seemed unimpressed with this insolent display and tightened his hold on Zuko's neck.  
Katara could see him straining under the pressure, the pain and the need to breathe as The Warden raised him slowly from the ground, his chains clinking against the stone.

"You will speak when spoken to,_ Prince._" he spat the last word out as if it were a curse word.  
Zuko gasped for air, his skin becoming paler and paler. Katara's eyes widened in horror.

"Leave him alone!" she cried, kicking at the metal bars of her cage, unable to stand it anymore.  
Turning to face her, The Warden released his hold on Zuko, who slumped back down, still suspended by his chains.  
He seemed to have forgotten all about her for a moment. As he walked toward he cage, Katara begin to feel incredibly small.  
Behind her, Zuko coughed and spluttered, filling his lungs with precious air. She shuffled away from the bars, which was made much harder with her hands immobile.

The Warden clasped his hands around the bars of her cage, his ugly face poking inside and leering at her.

"So, this is the famous Water Bender I've been hearing about. _The Blood Bender_." A reptilian smile spread across his sagging face.  
Katara flinched at the mentioning of Hama and her deceitful tricks.

"You have heard wrong. I am _no_ such thing." her voice trembled, though she willed it to sound as steady and sure as Zuko's had when they were first attacked in the forest.

The Warden's vile grin remained at her cage.

"I would not dismiss such talents, my dear." his voice was covered in fake encouragement. It made Katara sick to her stomach.

"The Fire Nation could use such...unique talents as yours in the field." Katara shot daggers at him with her eyes, trying to fill the mans evil heart brimming over with her contempt.

"I would rather die." she hissed. The Warden chuckled pleasantly, as if she had said something very complimentary or endearing.

"That may soon be arranged, Water Bender."  
Katara's confidence dwindled.  
He hadn't even tried to make it _sound_ threatening. He had said it so calmly, as if he did it every day. That alone petrified her.

She could hear the scrape of Zuko's chains straining under his attempts to struggle free. The arrogant, hideous man continued quite happily, clearly enjoying the torment it brought them.

"I do believe I had the pleasure of meeting your brother and father. Clever men, but tainted by the blood of _The Water Tribe._ Pity. It is with them that I also owe a lot of my troubles."

Realisation kicked in.

"You...you were the Warden at The Boiling Rock!" she spluttered, trying to edge away even further into a corner of her cage.

"Indeed. I _was_." He thrust a stubby finger at Zuko "But thanks to _this_ traitor and _your _Water Peasant brother, I lost it all!"  
Violently, he shook the bars of her cage like an enraged animal.  
She quivered, utterly petrified of this beast. She could begin to feel the iron heating up rapidly as his huge, animal-like hands clasped the bars. She began to pant. The iron under his palms began to glow orange and Katara whimpered helplessly as she tried to scramble away from the scalding metal slowly surrounding her.

"Stop!" Zuko choked from behind The Warden. "Leave...leave her alone."

With horror, Katara saw a sly grin come across their captors features. A slimy, manipulative grin.  
She had just been the bait.

"No, Zuko! I'm fine! Please!"

This man just wanted an excuse to hurt Zuko. To _torture_ Zuko. He had no inhibitions about slowly frying her alive to get what he wanted.  
The Warden turned slowly to face Zuko, who was desperately trying to support himself into a standing position.  
Katara's heart skipped a beat.

_He's too weak._

She had tried her hardest not to let her fear show in front of him, but he was badly injured.

His face was almost entirely covered in dried blood. His lip had split, leading a trail of blood down his severely bruised neck and shoulders.  
His face was terribly swollen, with bruises covering most of the good side of his face and a large cut above his eyebrow on the scarred side.  
His bad eye had sealed shut completely. Along his chest was covered in cuts, scrapes and a vast sea of purple skin.  
She also saw that his left arm had twisted into an unnatural angle – it was almost certainly broken.

The Warden walked toward him slowly, swinging his arms around lazily like a bored armadillo-bear. Every step he took, the knot in Katara's stomach tightened a little more.

"Ah yes" The Warden drawled "my sources told me you seemed to care for this girl quite alot."  
Zuko lowered his gaze, tightly shutting his one good eye in what seemed to be shame, trying to block out The Warden's twisted, terrible, truthful words.  
"You kept pleading and begging. Withstanding all that my men could throw at you in exchange for her protection. 'Don't hurt her!' 'Leave her alone!'" he mimicked. "It makes me want to laugh!"  
And he did. He laughed a sordid, bellowing laugh right in Zuko's face, mocking him.  
"How pathetic! Look how far the Fire Nation Prince has fallen! Begging on his knees like a dog for a _Water Tribe Peasant_! If only your father could see you now."

Katara couldn't see Zuko's face. His head was bowed low, his limbs trembling in their restraints, fists clenched.

She knew The Warden wasn't bluffing. She had heard him.  
Heard Zuko being tortured, screaming and calling out for her as they beat him. She had heard it all through the wall, completely helpless, with angry, guilty tears streaking her face, wishing desperately not to have to hear any more.

The Warden spat on the floor at Zuko's feet.

"You aren't even fit to call yourself Fire Nation. I have lost _everything _because of you."

He thrust a fist into the wall beside Zuko's head.  
Katara was trying incredibly hard not to start screaming, but Zuko seemed to remain completely still, as if he were willing to take The Warden's punishment for some unknown deed.  
The greasy old man leant in close to Zuko's face, leaving barely an inch between them, his bulging arm placed threateningly beside his head.  
His voice was lowered to a spiteful hiss.

"I lost my place among the Fire Nation, my position as Warden. I have no home. I am ashamed to show my face in civilization. My honour is gone! My niece is locked away forever because she tried to save you! I have nothing! Nothing!"

Zuko's face seemed pained as The Warden moved away. Not physical pain. Emotional?  
It was that guilty look again, Katara thought.

_What kind of hold does The Warden have over him? Why does he keep looking at him like that?_

"I'm sorry." Zuko whispered, his voice barely audible anymore.

The large, ugly man loomed over him, his shoulders trembling with rage.

"Do you honestly think I need the apology of a worthless, pitiful, broken Prince? What possible use is it to me?" his voice was raised in pure hatred.  
Katara trembled upon seeing the pumping veins in his neck as he towered over Zuko, certain that he would hurt him even more.

Zuko let out an undistinguishable noise. A moan? Tears? Coughing?  
But no, it was something different.

_Is he...is he laughing?_ Katara thought, horrified that Zuko should risk himself like this.

"I wasn't..." Zuko strained to say between broken, pained laughter "..apologising..to you."

* * *

The Warden had left in a foul rage. He had punched Zuko hard in the stomach, bellowing curses as he did so.  
Striding out of the room, he slammed the door, leaving them in the darkness, with the threat, "I'll be back."

Katara felt numb.  
She crept into the farthest corner of her cage and pulled her knees up to her face.  
She was absolutely petrified.  
Her terror almost kept her from looking at Zuko. She couldn't bear seeing him like that – because of her. He had gotten hurt _because of her._  
She heard him spit something onto the floor.  
The salty, metal tang lingered in the air.

_Blood._

Zuko remained completely silent, except for his ragged breath and coughing. She wasn't even sure if he was able to talk at all.  
Finally, after the initial shock was over, Katara dried her eyes and took a deep breath.

_You need to be strong. You can find a way out of this._

"Zuko?" she pleaded into the darkness, wishing, hoping for a reply.  
Silence greeted her and stretched on into the empty halls, seemingly reverberating from the walls and coming back to her again. She began to worry, and was just about to ask for him again when he replied.

"Yes?"

He sounded even worse than before. She had to really strain to hear him.

"We...we have to form an escape plan. I need to heal you. We need to get out of here."

When no reply came, she began to babble.

"I can't believe you did that, you idiot! You didn't have to be so uncooperative! You knew you could have gotten hurt and you just carried on anyway! Why did you have to be such a fool? What is it with all you men? You have to go raging into things, guns blazing! You could get _killed, _Zuko! _Zuko_, are you even listening to me?"

Pushing herself up against the bars, she could just see a faint smile on his lips through the darkness.

"You think this is _funny?_ Are you mad? How can you smile and laugh at a time like this? You've been drinking _way _too much of that terrible tea! Are all Fire Nation Prince's this cocky and foolhardy? Or did you have to study really hard to learn how to do it?"

But her scolding only proved to increase his smile. He raised his head feebly to meet her gaze, grin plastered on his bruised and battered face.  
It looked so out of place.

_Zuko never smiles! Why now of all times?_

"_I can't believe you're smiling!"_ she shouted at him, trying incredibly hard not to begin laughing herself. "_Zuko!"_

For the second time that day, the weak, spluttered laugh escaped his lips, bouncing off the walls and echoing around the dark prison.  
She looked at his face and began to giggle, but trying to stifle it only made her want to laugh even more.  
Soon, they were both laughing at themselves and each other. The situation, the pain and hunger, everything!  
Zuko's ribs shook and every breath he took made him flinch, but he kept on laughing regardless.  
Katara rolled over in her cage, unable to clutch her sides as she laughed the fear away.

She'd never heard Zuko laugh before. He was always too serious to laugh.  
She wondered what it would be like if he wasn't injured and almost without a voice entirely.  
She imagined he'd have a boyish laugh, that he was still unfamiliar with and conscious about.  
There probably hadn't been much laughter in his life so far, she thought.

Finally, their tittering subsided and the deathly silence enveloped them once again.

* * *

The steamy room began to make her pant. The dry steam prevented her from sweating, so she couldn't use it to Water Bend, but it dehydrated her immensely quickly.  
The laughter certainly hadn't helped to cool her down.  
The silence stretched on from minutes to hours. Neither of them had said a word.

"Hey Zuko?" she asked finally into the dim light. After a silence he grunted a reply.

"Why did you do that for me? Let yourself get hurt like that?"

There was no reply.

She prayed to the Moon Goddess that he would be alright.  
That they would get out of here and find Aang and the others.  
That everything would be okay again.

She had almost given up hope of an answer by the time he managed to splutter back a reply.

"I...promised...your dad."  
Katara's heart almost broke in two at his plight. "I keep...my promises."

Katara tried to turn her head away, so that he couldn't see the single tear running down her cheek.  
A grateful silence stretched between them. She heard his chains clink against the stone walls as he tried to stretch himself. And heard his breath catch, as the pain wracked his body. But he didn't complain. He never did.

The dry steam and shock all began to take their toll. Katara felt her eyes drooping and her head lolling forward.  
Lying down on the floor of her cage as comfortably as possible with hands chained behind her back, she whispered drowsily to him.

"You know, Jerk Bender. You really are an idiot."

She saw the flash of his white teeth across the room before she finally gave in to the exhaustion and fell asleep.

_Funny that he's smiled more in this situation than in the entire time I've known him..._

* * *

**Authors Notes : Phew! Bloody knackered now! Three chapters in one day! Aren't I spoiling you all?  
Some of you may have noticed, (SPOILER ALERT! LOOK AWAY NOW!) that in Boiling Rock Part Two, The Warden is Mai's Uncle, so you can understand what poor Zuzu's going through.  
Also, Mai is from a non-bending family, but nowhere in Boiling Rock Part Two does it state that the Warden himself is a non-bender. He just doesn't get much of a chance, against Suki (after all, she kicks ass!).  
So, for this fic, I'm just going to use some poetic license and say that he is a Fire Bender. Add's to the bad-guy persona.**


	7. An Unexpected Visitor

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters and Burning Rock part one and two.**

**Authors Note : Wow, the feedback I've had on this story has been pretty incredible. I had no idea there were so many Zutarian's out there. Fight for the cause! P  
Some of you have been asking how The Warden has been able to obtain warriors and the use of a prison when he's got pretty much nothing left. All will be revealed in due course.**

**Also, special thanks are needed for Sunbattle and Zutara4lyfe who have been reading since the very beginning and helping me with any grammar and spelling errors.**

* * *

When Zuko awoke next, he noticed that Katara had gone. She wasn't in her cage and nowhere in sight! He began to panic.

_They wouldn't hurt her. They wouldn't. Maybe they just let her go._

His muscles screamed.  
Sleeping whilst suspended upright was incredibly uncomfortable.  
He had completely lost all feeling in his left arm. He noticed sickeningly that it jutted out at an awkward and very unnatural angle in its bonds.  
It wasn't painful enough to be a break, but a dull throbbing through the wrist and shoulder told him that something definitely wasn't right. He could still move it a little, though with extreme effort and self-control.

Zuko tried to concentrate on something. Anything that would keep his mind from concocting terrible images of what might be happening to Katara.

He tried to flex his arm, to try and regain any possible feeling. Instead, a dull pain began throbbing at the base of his shoulder.  
He felt utterly exhausted, as if he'd been walking for days on end.

_Where is she?_

He tried to judge what time of day it was.  
Fire Bender's rose with the sun, but with his injuries, who knew?  
Zuko inwardly surveyed the changes in his body. He felt colder than usual, but that was expected whilst in complete darkness. His inner flame seemed to still be circulating fairly well. So he guessed that it was still light outside, though not for long.  
He was always at his strongest at dawn, when the sun rose from the sky in a blaze of glory that sent his veins on fire.

He thought numbly that he should try to meditate, to keep himself busy and centre his mind, in preparation. In preparation of what, he didn't quite know.

_We have to get out of here. I need a plan. I have to save her!_

Zuko willed his mind to race at double speed. He desperately tried to come up with a plan. But almost every idea he formed seemed idiotic, suicidal or downright impossible!

_Maybe I could set something on fire and then Katara could...no, that's stupid!_

I could ambush The warden on his next visit like we did at the Boiling Rock and then...no! How are you going to kidnap The Warden chained to a wall? Stupid, Zuko! Stupid!

I could heat up the chains and take the skin off his ugly hands!

But Zuko realised that this was just wishful thinking.

_What would Uncle say?_

A pang rose in his stomach as he though of his Uncle.  
Where had the old man gone? What had happened? Was he alright? Was he even still alive?

Zuko sighed and lowered his head. Closing his good eye, he tried to picture the smiling old man standing in front of him.  
Probably with a cup of his favourite tea in his hand and that stupid Pai Sho tile. Zuko smiled to himself, his jaw muscles aching.

"Uncle..."

Suddenly, as clear as day, he could see the cheery old man standing in front of him!  
True to his thoughts, he was holding a cup of Jasmine tea that made Zuko's mouth begin to water with thirst and twiddling a White Lotus tile between his thumb and forefinger.  
As much as Zuko wished it to be true, he wasn't sure he could trust himself. Surely this wasn't real.

"Uncle? Am I...am I dreaming?"

Iroh laughed a haughty belly-shaking laugh.  
His kind wrinkled eyes spoke of nothing but joy and pleasure.

He no longer wore his Fire Nation attire, but the green Tea-Makers clothes he had worn whilst in Ba Sing Se.  
His Uncle had always been happiest then, serving his tea without a care in the world.

"Ah, my boy. What have you gotten yourself into this time?" he chided, but with the still gentle tone in his voice and even gentler smile.

"Uncle. You...you're not really here, are you?"  
Zuko already knew the answer, but some feeble hope burned inside him that perhaps his wish had been granted. Iroh shook his shaggy, grand head. He took a sip of his tea. Zuko could swear to Agni that he could almost taste it own his own tongue.

"No, I am afraid not, my nephew. I fear you are simply hallucinating. Or just crazy, but I could have told you that long ago." His chest shook with gentle laughter, just like it once had. "I see that you are still capable of making trouble without my help."

Zuko tried to smile, but found he couldn't.

"Uncle. _Father._" his breath caught in his throat. He felt unworthy. Dirty. "Why – where did you go? I came to find you. I wanted to say so many things. But you were gone. I wanted to-"

Iroh waved a dismissive hand, the White Lotus tile glistening in the darkness.

"You must not worry, Zuko. I forgave you long ago. I always knew that you would do the right thing. Now, you must not dwell on such things. It is not important."

"But, I have to find you. As soon as I find a way to get out of here-"

"All in due course, my son." Zuko's good eye began to feel very heavy. He willed himself not to cry in front of Iroh – hallucination or not.

_He called me son._

"Now" Iroh began again quite calmly, to Zuko's relief "We must find a way to get you out of here." he smirked "And that pretty Water Tribe girl, too. What was her name again? Katara?"

Zuko almost laughed, stifling a blush. Even when he was going crazy and seeing things, his Uncle was still the same.

"That, my boy, is why I am here. Just call me...you're reasonable conscience." he laughed at his own joke.

"But I've thought of almost everything. This place has covered almost every corner. There's nothing I can do. It's hopeless." he sulked, lowering his head in mock defeat.

Imaginary Iroh frowned.

"Now Zuko. Thinking like that will often result in more problems. I think you will find that you already know the answer to your problem. You simply have to look."

Zuko raised his head to look at Iroh. He may have been an illusion, but he certainly _acted_ like his Uncle.

"What do you mean? I've thought of everything possible! How can I already know the answer?"

"Only you can discover that, Zuko. You will find the answer within yourself."

Zuko, lowered his head, desperate to keep the tears at bay. His voice was almost a whisper.  
"I have to save her, Unc-Father. I have to."

To his horror, Zuko saw that the edges of Imaginary Iroh were beginning to blur. Was he getting fainter?

"Just trust in yourself, my son. You will find what you seek."

His being began to fade out. He seemed to be becoming transparent – disappearing.

"No, don't go! I need your help!"

But Iroh simply smiled as an invisible wind carried away the last visible particles of his eyes.

"No! Come back! Please! _Father!"_

"_Trust in yourself, Zuko. I believe in you."_

* * *

Zuko had slumped against his bonds for a long time, feeling empty.

_What can I do? What did he mean?_

Zuko had never thought of himself as one to cry. But as soon as the illusion of his Uncle had faded away, he had been unable to stop slow tears from leaking down his face.  
He hated himself for it. He felt weak.

The tears only fell from his good eye. The use of his scarred eye had been destroyed long ago.  
He was glad Katara was not around to see him.

He made no noise. He just kept his head bowed, thinking of what the illusion could have meant.

_I need to think. I can figure this out._

Eventually, it seemed there were no more tears to shed and he stopped crying.  
He tried to concentrate as hard as he could, thinking of nothing.  
He tried to empty his mind, delicately combing over every memory in his head, replaying every memory.

_I know the answer. I know the answer._ Zuko repeated it to himself over and over again, hoping for something to reveal itself.

Suddenly, something popped into his head.  
At first he dismissed it, but couldn't help feel it chipping away at his thoughts. It was something The Warden had said.

_Is that the answer?_ He thought to himself

Had he heard The Warden correctly? What had he meant?  
He must have replayed the memory in his head a thousand times. The words flooding back to him.  
_  
Was he wrong? Did I mishear him?_

But no, Zuko realised that what he had heard was correct.  
That it just might be able to save them.

_Thank you. _He thought silently to the God's above

_I have found the answer. Thank you. Thank you, Father._

* * *

Zuko waited. Long into the night -or day, he lost track- he waited.  
Waited for Katara to reappear.  
He strained his senses to pick up any source of noise, movement, anything.  
Sometimes, he thought he could hear muffled conversation, but it often disappeared as quickly as it had come.

_She has to be okay. She just has to._

He waited and waited until he felt he could wait no longer.

After what seemed an eternity, he heard a click beyond the door that imprisoned him. His heart skipped a beat and anticipation filled his thoughts, almost blocking out everything else.

_Katara!_

But when the door opened and light flooded inside, temporarily blinding him, he realised sadly that it wasn't Katara. It was a guard.  
He found he couldn't distinguish one from another.  
They all wore black and were hooded. This one was no exception.

In his hands, he carried a tray of food and a jug of water.  
Zuko's initial disappointment almost melted away at the sight of sustenance. He had never been more thirsty in his life.

The guard remained entirely silent, as the heavy iron door closed and bolted behind him, once again thrusting them into darkness.  
Holding the tray with one hand, the man clicked the fingers of the other, a tiny flame spurting from his fingertips and lighting up the room.

_So, they're Fire Benders..._ Zuko noted. _At least now I know what I'm up against._

The guard strode toward Zuko, making almost no noise as his feet touched the floor.  
In the back of is mind, Zuko faintly remembered what Katara had said about all Fire Nation men making no noise when they walked.

"Where's Katara?" Zuko demanded. "Where is she?" He received no reply.  
When he asked again with the same result, he realised he wasn't going to get much else out of the man.

They remained in silence as the guard pressed the cup of water to Zuko's lips. He drank happily. He had never appreciated fresh water more in his entire life!  
When he had finished, the guard poured him another and he drank that down just as quickly. Soon the entire jug of water was empty.

The food wasn't really much. Just a hunk of stale bread and some strips of meat.  
But Zuko wolfed them down without complaint as the guard fed them to him, still remaining in complete silence.  
All he needed to concentrate on right now was surviving and regaining his strength.

When all the food and water had been finished, Zuko expected the guard to leave. Instead, he remained.  
Zuko almost jumped when the man finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"I am going to release you now. You will do what you need to do and only that."

Zuko realised that the man was pointing to the chamber pot in the corner of the room. His good ear turned red and his face grew hot.

"You've got to be kidding!"

The man continued as if he hadn't heard him.

"You will then return to your bonds quietly and cooperatively. If you should attack or try to escape, I need all but give the order and The Water Bender girl shall suffer for your actions."

Zuko grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes.

"Don't you dare touch her." he seethed, his entire body shaking with rage and rattling the chains against the stone.

"Do I make myself clear, Prince Zuko?" the man asked.  
His tone sounded impassive and completely devoid of emotion. He obviously didn't care about Katara's welfare and would hurt her in a second.  
Zuko lowered his head against his chest, trying incredibly hard to restrain himself.

_What choice do I have? I have to wait. Just remember the plan. _He reminded himself.

"I understand." he replied to the guard, not even bothering to look at the man.  
He took a deep breath. He mustn't hurt him – no matter how much he wanted to. If he did anything wrong, Katara would get hurt.

Zuko tried not to flinch away from the mans touch as he unlocked his chains.

_Don't even touch me!_

When his chains were released, Zuko's weight seemed to double.  
His legs buckled and he fell to his knee's on the floor. He hadn't realised how much his chains had been supporting him.  
Every muscle ached and screamed in agony as they were released.  
He sucked in a pained breath as his bad arm swung down to his side after so long suspended upwards. It hung limply at his side, almost useless.

After the feeling had come back into his legs and some encouraging kicks from his guard, Zuko rose onto his unsteady feet.  
At first he swayed a little, unsure of his weight or balance.  
The guard pointed again to the corner of the room.  
"Get on with it."

Zuko had to mentally and almost physically stop himself from punching the man directly in the face with a fist of fire.  
Raising himself to his full height, Zuko pressed his palm to the joint in his shoulder. He guessed that the arm was simply dislocated, not broken.

Readying himself for pain, he thrust the curve of his palm into the shoulder joint and pushed upwards.  
He couldn't help but grunt in agony as the loud crack told him that the joint had returned to its proper alignment.

He might have been wrong, but Zuko swore he caught a faint smile pass the guards lips. Zuko snarled back at him before making his first unsteady shuffle toward the corner of the room, rotating his shoulder back and forth to stimulate more feeling back into it.

"If you should attack, I have authorisation to use force." the guard stated after him, as a threatening reminder. Zuko noticed out of the corner of his eye that he had what looked like a reed strapped to his belt.

_More darts._ Zuko realised, thinking back to when they were first attacked in the forest. _None of them had been able to Fire Bend in the forest either._

"You could at least turn around" he grumbled to the man.

After Zuko had tended to the call of nature, his shackles were clasped back around his wrists and ankles and he lay in wait once again for Katara to return.

* * *

**Authors Notes : Poor Zuko. First hallucinating and then that! Nothing more embarrassing than being watched in that situation, is there?  
What could his escape plan be? And where's Katara?  
Guess you'll just have to wait and find out.**


	8. The Plan

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters and Burning Rock part one and two.**

**Authors Note : For anyone wondering (or anyone who already knows), 'Sila od Vatra' is Croatian for 'Force of Fire'. It makes things a lot easier to follow when you know what it translates into.  
**

Katara felt utterly exhausted!  
Whilst she was sleeping, her cage had been unlocked and rough, bulky arms had pulled her out. Half asleep and hungry, she hadn't been able to resist when a black bag wad thrown over her head and she was frog-marched out of the room.  
She thought of calling for Zuko, but found herself whisked out so quickly, she was barely able to formulate the words.

_Zuko, please be okay._

Strong arms marched her down what seemed to be an endless corridor. She couldn't tell where she was going, nor was she able to remember a way out, as the bag over her head prevented her from picking out anything memorable.

She'd tried to ask where they were taking her through the black bag, but only received a slight push in the back as an answer.  
Although she was scared, Katara was hugely relieved to finally be out of that room. The dry steam was just too much for her and the cool draughts swirling through the halls was most welcoming.

She tried to focus on any positive aspects, instead of letting herself get out of control.

_I'm out of the room at least.  
They've left Zuko alone for a little while longer.  
Maybe I can find out what's going on._

But she found she couldn't think of anything more.

Finally, the hand placed on her shoulder pulled her backwards slightly, signalling for her to stop.  
She heard the scrape of metal bars and locks in front of her – probably a door. The rough hand hastily shoved her into the alien space and she heard the door slam shut behind her and the locks once again twist into place.

Katara didn't move. She feared that if she did, she would trip over something.  
She couldn't see a single thing through the black bag. But in the back of her mind, Katara was dreading what she would see when the bag was removed.

She rolled her eyes and let out a sigh when she realised how desperately she needed to scratch her nose. Of course, this was impossible with both hands bound behind her back and the itchy fabric of the bag certainly wasn't helping.

"Ah, the Water Bender."

Katara almost jumped out of her skin.  
Horrified, she recognised the voice of The Warden.  
She heard a clicking noise and suddenly, another pair of rough hands grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her into a chair.  
Katara thought that if they were the hands of The Warden, she might be sick.

Her legs were pushed up against the legs of the chair and chained in place. The chair she had been chained into seemed to be too large for any normal person. Far too spacious.  
It had a high back and rigid arms. It almost felt like a throne.

_I wonder if Ozai is sitting on one of these right now_. She wondered vaguely.

The bag was swept from her head and the unexpected light from a single candle was enough to blind her. Her nose tickled and she couldn't help but sneeze.

Someone laughed. She suspected it was The Warden.

_Keep laughing. S_he thought _Because when I get out of here, you won't be laughing much longer._

Eventually, her eyes began to adjust to the new source of light. How long had it been since she had seen light? Four, five days?  
Katara found herself sitting in a bare room.  
All that furnished it was the large chair she was sitting in and a table a few feet away, where the candle sat, burning away idly.  
And there, standing in front of the heavy duty iron door was The Warden.

Behind her, she could feel the presence of another.  
She swallowed, hating The Warden with every breath she took.  
His beady eyes zoned in on her, with that awful reptilian smile. He was even uglier in the light.

"So, my dear. We finally have a chance to talk in private."  
A horrified chill went up Katara's spine.  
She really hoped that he would just put her back in her smelly cage.  
Her lower lip jutted out and she scowled at him.

_Don't even think about it, creep._He spread his palms open in front of him.

"Now now. There's no need for such rudeness. I simply want to ask you a few questions."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you." she said in her most sickly sweet tone "But I'm afraid I'm not quite in the mood for cooperation.You'll have to wait."

His eyebrow twitched.  
Subconsciously, Katara thought that this was the exact same trait that Zuko shared when he was angry. She had become all too familiar with it during her travels.

_'I'll save you from the pirates..'_

It seemed to her that Fire Nation men all had short tempers, stupid sideburns and brewed terrible tea.

Katara desperately tried to keep composed and confident.  
She was determined not to give anything away about Aang's position or get Zuko hurt.  
The Warden seemed to quickly regain his composure.

"I see." He walked closer toward her. The hair on the back of her neck bristled. "Well, I'm sorry you feel that way."

_Please leave me alone. Anyone else. Anyone but you._ She prayed silently.

"Who are you?" she demanded, sounding braver than she felt.

The Warden seemed to be pleased with her question, as though he'd been waiting for her to ask.  
"We are known as the Sila Vatra, my dear. A force to be reckoned with! We are capable of anything and everything. Not a single thing goes on in the Fire Nation without our knowing."

_You sound like Zhao, you egotistical jerk._

The Warden removed something from his belt and began twirling it between his fingers. It shone in the candlelight. Metal.  
_A knife. _  
She looked closer and recognised it.  
_Zuko's knife!_

"But I feel obliged to keep you here until I get the information I need." he drawled, almost as if the encounter was boring him.

_Just try it, old man._

Katara turned her head away defiantly.  
"I won't help you."

The knife flew from his hand as fast as a gust of Aang's Air Bending.  
The point planted itself barely two inches above Katara's head, lodged into the back of the large chair.  
She stiffened and tightly closed her eyes, expecting pain to come. She felt none.  
Dimly, she could hear the vibration of the metal knife wobbling from the impact.

_Zuko! Help me!_

Her breathing quickened.  
She kept her eyes closed as tightly as possible, forcing her body to keep back the tears that were threatening to spill over.  
She could hear The Warden's booted feet padding beside her.  
When she opened her eyes, he was by her side, his foul breath in her ear, whispering putrid words.

"Now, you wouldn't want the same thing to happen to your precious Prince, would you?"

Katara's eyes widened and her back stiffened. She tried helplessly to sink into the back of the chair and become invisible.

"Because next time, I'll make sure I don't miss."

His sickly, terrible laugh made her want to hurt him – badly.

"Haven't you done enough to him already? Just leave him alone, you coward!" she spat, not facing him.  
He straightened up and walked in front of her, there was something in his eyes that she couldn't place and didn't like.

"You know, I'm beginning to see why he seems to be so infatuated with you. You're quite feisty."

She looked down at the floor.

_Not like this. Don't let me die like this._

"Look at me, girl."

Katara's veins seemed to turn to ice. She remembered what had happened when Zuko had refused earlier.  
Clearly, The Warden wanted his prisoners to know who was boss. Who had the power.  
She chose not to risk it and forced herself to look at him.  
His eyes were evil, disgusting eyes.  
They were lined with cruelty and malice. He smiled greedily.

"I see that you have more manners than his Majesty. Good."

Katara didn't reply, but simply stared at him.  
She tried to convey all the hatred and resentment she felt into her gaze and to throw it right into The Warden's face.

"Now, why is it that a Master Water Bender, _The Blood Bender_" she flinched "would be so concerned about the well fare of a banished and disgraced Fire Nation Prince? One who should be your worst enemy?"

"He has more honour than you will _ever _know. He knows of sacrifice and kindness - you know of nothing!" Katara seethed back at him.

His jaw tightened and she could see a vein on his neck that hadn't been there before.

"Where is the Avatar? Where is he hiding?"  
That fearful temper had returned.  
Katara worried that she had pushed her luck. But she kept herself composed.

_Zuko can do it. So can I._

"I don't know." She found herself smiling grimly at The Warden's ugly, red face.  
His large hands gripped the arms of the chair, leaning in close to her. His eyes burned with pure, sickening rage and his face seemed to be turning red in anger.

"I am losing my patience, girl. Now tell me – Where is the Avatar?"

Keeping her cool, she didn't back away from his gaze, though the close proximity absolutely terrified her beyond all reason.

"I don't know."

Then he slapped her.  
The right side of her face stung painfully where his palm had struck her. It felt hot and prickled underneath the skin.  
She grimaced and cried out.

"You're a monster!" she screamed at him. "I'll never tell you a thing!"

The Warden's shoulders heaved up and down, his beady eyes narrowed. He spat on the floor.

"Don't think that I won't use force, simply because you are a woman!"

She screamed back at him, sending him a flurry of insults. She had lost all regard for her own safety.  
"You're a coward! A spineless coward! Face him like a man! He would win! You wouldn't stand a chance! You're nothing but scum! Zuko would completely _destroy _you!"

The Warden's face was now eerily still.  
Without warning, he smiled.  
How she loathed that twisted, malicious smile. It scared her more than his temper.  
Once again, he leaned in close to her ear and whispered to her.

"_Prince Zuko_ won't be able to protect you forever. He has enough trouble protecting himself."

With that, he and the other man swerved out of the heavy iron door and slammed it shut behind them, effectively snuffing out the candle and leaving her in darkness.

* * *

How much time had passed? How long had she been in that tiny room?

Katara drifted in and out of sleep, weighed down with thirst.  
She suffered fitful dreams of fire, dark spaces and screaming. The Warden's face and Zuko's blood.

Waking in a cold sweat, she realized nothing had changed. She was still in darkness.  
Her arms still ached from the tightly bound chains and her neck had stiffened from sleeping upright.  
She had waited for hours when The Warden had left.  
Nobody had come for her.

_They can't just leave me here!_

Subtly, the changes taking place in her body told her that the moon was lowering in the sky and that the sun would probably rise soon.  
It was almost impossible to judge time anymore.  
Perhaps it had been longer than she had thought. Perhaps they had been here for over a week!

_Someone will come. They'll be looking for us right now. Sokka and dad and Aang and Toph – they'll come and find us. They'll get us out of here._

When she had given up all hope, she heard the metal locks scraping away from the door. Her stomach did back flips as she expected The Warden to return, but instead, it was another hooded guard.  
She let out a sigh, almost relieved to be taken back to her stuffy, hot cell.

Another black bag was thrust over her head and she made the long walk back down the corridor. When she was stopped and heard another heavy iron door swing open, a large wave of hot, dry air hit her.

_Back to my cage. _she thought bitterly.

"Katara?" she heard Zuko ask. He sounded as if her were relieved to see her.

_He's okay! Thank the Moon Spirits!_

Once again, she was marched back to her cage. Her captor fastened her chains to the rear end of the cage and then her feet.

She realised she was going to have water, feeling happier than she had in hours.  
Her feet were only bound when they were going to give her water, so that she wouldn't be able to bend.

The black bag was pulled from her head and a cup of water thrust under her nose. She drank greedily, not caring how degrading it felt to have to drink like an animal from a trough.  
When she had finished, she felt refreshed and empowered.  
The guard actually removed the cup from the room before unchaining her legs.

"I'm not going to kill you will three drops of water, you know." she stated dryly to the guard, rolling her eyes. "There wasn't enough left in there for that."

She heard Zuko stifle a laugh. The guard turned around and shot him a deadly look, but said nothing.

When the guard had left, closing the heavy iron door behind her, they were once again thrust back into the embrace of the darkness and the stifling heat of the steam.

"Are you alright?" Zuko asked.

Katara was glad to hear that his voice was a lot better.  
She also noticed that his left arm seemed to have re-aligned somehow. His bruises had now turned a nasty yellow colour. She wasn't sure if he had any damage on his legs, as his trousers covered them. They were ragged and dirty.  
He desperately needed a bath (but then again, so did she). His hair was lank and hung limply over face, effectively covering his good eye.

_Doesn't that get on his nerves?_ She wondered.

His face was still covered in thick, dried blood. At least it might have been blood. She wasn't sure how much of it was dirt and how much was blood.  
She hoped that most of it was dirt.  
The cuts along his arms and chest seemed to be healing well, but she didn't like the look of the cut above his eye. It seemed swollen. Perhaps it was infected.  
She had to restrain herself from leaning into the bars to get a better look.  
She realised that she hadn't replied for quite some time. Zuko was looking at her strangely.

_Stop staring at him! _She scolded herself. _It's creepy!_

"I'm fine."

Katara tried to turn her head away, conscious of the fact that even the smallest of shadows might expose the purple bruise forming on her cheek.  
She was sure he'd do something stupid if he noticed.  
She tried to keep from looking at Zuko's beaten and battered frame. It made her feel insanely guilty.

_Why did he do that? Was it for my dad? Or was it...for me?_

"The Warden has your knife." She felt as if she needed to say something. The silence was almost too much to bear.

Zuko stiffened and his chains rattled in protest.  
"What did he do to you? Did he hurt you?"

Katara mentally slapped her forehead, wishing she hadn't mentioned it.  
Why did he always have to be so overprotective? She thought huffily. She was a big girl, after all! She could take care of herself.

"Zuko, I'm fine. He didn't hurt me. He just...kind of threw it at my head."

He grunted, a low rumbling in his throat that could have been mistaken for the growl of an animal.

"I'll make sure he pays for it."

Katara was incredibly glad for the darkness, as Zuko couldn't see the beetroot colour of her cheeks.

_Why do I feel so funny when he talks like that?_

They sat in silence.

Feeling like a fool, Katara tried to concentrate on something else. There wasn't much to do in their dungeon.  
No roof tiles to count. No loose bits of dirt to flick around.  
Katara tried to avoid looking at him. She couldn't bear to look at him.

Not when he looked like that. He shouldn't have to look like that.

_Because of me._So, she contented herself by drumming her feet on the floor of her cage.  
She was just beginning to get lost in the memories of the typical Water Tribe campfire songs she was tapping out, when Zuko spoke up.

"I didn't know where you were."

_Why does he care? And why do I care if he cares?_

She pretended she hadn't heard him, finding something far more interesting on the sole of her shoe.

"Katara?"

She tried to ignore him. Who knew what was going on in his head! But he persisted.

"Katara?"

"What?" she replied, no emotion in her voice.

"I have a plan to escape."

Immediately, she perked up.

_I knew you'd think of something!_

She scooted over the the bars of her cage, closest to him so she could hear better. Resting her forehead against the bars, she sighed a huge sigh of relief.  
She resisted the urge to look directly into his eyes. She had never seen anyone with golden eyes before him.

"Took you long enough, Jerk Bender."

But he didn't smile. Something was bothering him.

"The Warden called you something. He called you a Blood Bender."

Katara stiffened and her blood ran colder in her veins than the most freezing temperatures in The South Pole.

* * *

**Authors Notes : Okay, I know what you're thinking. I'm stealing plot lines from the show. That's how Hama escape****d! How un-original etc etc.  
It may seem that way, but there is something to their escape plan that is far more different than that of the show. Guess you'll just have to wait and find out.**

* * *


	9. The Sila Vatra

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters, Burning Rock part one and two and The Puppet Master.**

**Authors Note : (SPOILER ALERT!) Will remind you once again. If you haven't seen 'The Puppet Master' and don't want to have the plot completely spoiled, turn away now! You have been warned.**

* * *

"No." she said.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Zuko retorted. She hadn't even _heard_ his plan yet!

"I mean no, Zuko. I won't do it."

Her face had contracted strangely. There was something that he'd never seen on her face before. It appeared to be shame.  
She was hugging her knees to her chest. Her slim shoulders looked as if they would snap if her arms were pinned behind her any farther.

"Katara. Was The Warden telling the truth? Can you really bend blood?"

She didn't reply.

"Katara! I need to know! This could be our only chance to escape!"

He was beginning to lose his patience.

_How can she just sit there and be so...difficult?  
_  
She hadn't even heard what he was going to say and immediately snuffed it. It could be the only hope they had and she wouldn't even talk about it!

"It's wrong, Zuko." He had expected her to argue back, but her voice was small and meek, almost a whisper.  
It sounded as if simply talking about it caused her physical pain.  
"It's wrong and unfair and I won't do it."

They sat silently.

"Where...when did you,uhm...learn?" he asked, a little afraid of the answer he might receive.

"Not long before the invasion."  
Her voice had shrunk so low, he had to strain to hear it.

_Is she ashamed? Ashamed in front of _me?_ After all that I've done, she's the one who feels guilty?_

She spoke away from him, not daring to look him in the eye.  
"We were at a Fire Nation town. We were staying the night at an inn run by an old woman."

Zuko was bursting with questions, but remained silent for fear that she wouldn't tell.

"People had been disappearing in the woods on the night of the full moon." She sighed heavily. "We found out that she was a...a Water Bender. From my own tribe. She had been captured years ago by the Fire Nation in the first raids, but she'd escaped. She wanted to train me and teach me what she knew. But..."

She trailed off. Zuko worried that she wouldn't finish the rest of the tale and waited for her to continue.

"She was behind it. She was the one kidnapping people during the full moon. She wanted revenge for being imprisoned. Using the blood in peoples bodies as water and controlling them like puppets. Then she turned on us and I...I had to use...Blood Bending to stop her."

Zuko kept silent. He'd had no idea that Water Benders were capable of such things.  
He hadn't even considered blood as water before. But now that he thought of it, it made sense.  
And it terrified him.

"I swore never to use it again. It's wrong, Zuko. You can't ask me to do it. Taking free will away from people like that is just so unfair."

The silence stretched on. Katara still did not face him. Her shoulders heaved every so often.

_Is she...is she crying?_

He thought of what he was asking her to do.

_Yes, it was unfair. It wasn't right.  
But it also isn't right or fair to keep us locked up like this for the rest of our lives.  
_  
He thought hard, trying to convince her. This was really the only way out.  
He had analysed and considered and plotted from every other angle and nothing else was going to work.

"Katara? What if...what if the person is _volunteering_? Would it be unfair then?"

Her posture straightened slightly and she turned to face him. Her face was wet with glistening tears.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

* * *

"What do you mean, _volunteering_, Zuko? How can someone volunteer their blood?"  
She looked confused and a little afraid.

"If I..." he felt so out of his depth. He didn't know the first thing about blood bending _or _Water Bending. "If I _let _you bend my blood, without any objection, would it be wrong then?"

Katara bowed her head for quite some time. Zuko prayed to Agni that she would see sense.

"I don't know, Zuko. I still don't like it. It's an...invasion into the body."

Zuko tried hard not to shiver at the thought.

_Would it hurt? What does it feel like?_

"It's our only choice, Katara. I've thought of everything else and this is the only one that makes any sense. If you need to" he swallowed a lump in his throat "bend blood to do it, then so be it."

"I just can't, Zuko. I just can't." her voice squeaked as though she was about to start crying again. Zuko willed her not to.

_There must be some way..._ He thought desperately _Some way I can convince her._

"What about if it..." he couldn't believe he was suggesting this "if it was _outside_ of the body? Then it would just be like water. Just...red water."

Her face grew deadly serious. She looked truly terrified.

"Zuko, what are you saying?"

He sighed heavily. He could feel the beginning of a headache forming behind his eyes.

"I've been thinking about it for quite some time. If you aren't comfortable with Blood Bending _inside_ a person, then why not outside?"

Katara looked as if he'd asked her to cut off her own arm and use it as a weapon!

"No, Zuko! No way!"

"Just think of it as water." he repeated "Just...red water."

She stuck her bottom lip out. Zuko called strength up from above that she would listen to reason and just try. If he was willing to give her his own blood, she should at least be willing to use it!

_Are all women this difficult or just the ones I know? _He thought, heavy hearted.

He repeated it again.

"Just red water."

A gloomy silence fell between them.

Zuko suddenly felt a little guilty for putting all of this pressure on Katara.  
Perhaps he _was_ being a little unfair. But what other choice did they have?

The hiss of the dry steam pumped through the rooms, filling the consuming silence.  
But when it subsided, there wasn't much else Zuko could concentrate on.

He desperately wanted to say something.  
To argue. To tell her she was being stupid and unreasonable.  
To tell her that he wanted to protect her and get her away from this awful place.

"How would I..you.." she faltered, obviously uncomfortable with the question she was trying to form "Where would we get enough blood to form a weapon?"

It took almost all of Zuko's willpower not to roll his eyes.

"From me, Katara."

* * *

"But Zuko, you could get hurt! I don't know how much I would need!"

Inwardly, Zuko was doing a victory dance.  
Though she wasn't happy about it, the fact that Katara had addressed the subject and asked questions meant that she was at least _thinking_ about using his plan.

"Don't worry, Katara. You could only take as much as you're comfortable with. You're a healer – you know how much is too much. Plus, as soon as we get out of here and you find some water, you can heal me and close up the wound and we can get back to the others."

"But how would you fight? You'd be too weak. Especially in the state you are now-"

"Katara! Will you please just stop worrying about me like an old woman and listen to reason? I've lost who knows how much blood already and I'm fine! A little more wouldn't hurt!"

Katara seemed taken aback and a little offended. He felt guilty for saying it, but they didn't have much time to plan anything.  
Who knew when The Warden would return?

"Zuko. You're being completely stupid and unfair. Think this through! You could get hurt! You could _die_!"

Her voice seemed to hold something that he hadn't heard unless she was talking about Aang.  
Though his ego told him to retaliate, his common sense told him that she was just worried.  
Zuko's heart skipped a beat at the thought._  
_  
He tried to keep his voice as un-threatening as possible.

"We will _both _die here if we don't."

This seemed to strike a chord. Katara's bottom lip wobbled and she turned her face away from him.  
The light caught her cheek and he saw something on her face.

"Katara? Your face."

Katara tightly closed her eyes and swore.

"He hit you."

Anger flared inside his chest.  
It burned brighter than his inner flame.  
It raged so fast and ragged, he was afraid it would burst from his chest and consume the entire place in fire. His fists trembled under their bonds.

_I'll kill him. I'll kill him if it's the last thing I do._

"Stop it, Zuko. I'm fine." She tried to reassure him, but her tone told him otherwise. The bruise looked swollen and sore.  
Zuko wanted to comfort her, but didn't know how.

"I'll hurt him for this. I'll make him pay. Make him wish he was never-"

Unexpectedly, she lashed out, kicking at the bars with her feet, sounding a dull thud echoing through the room.

"Don't talk like that! You can't talk like that anymore!" Her voice sounded hurt and distressed, reminding him of something.  
The distinctive memory came flooding back to him.

_I thought you'd changed! She yelled, sending a water whip at him.  
I have. He replied, with an icy tone, shooting tentacles of flame back at her.  
Her head hit the stone crystal. She fell.  
The tears in her eyes as she cradled the Avatar.  
That look. That look she had given him as she flew upwards through the ceiling on a jet of water. She had looked utterly broken._

"Everything you say, even when you're trying to help me – when you say those awful things, it just makes things so much harder! How can I think you've changed when you can say such terrible things?" She sniffed.

Zuko fell silent. He knew exactly what she was talking about and had no intention of reliving the memory.  
He felt distraught.  
How else could he protect her? Fighting was all he knew...

"You really hurt me, Zuko." Katara's tiny voice trembled. It sounded as if those were the last words that she would ever speak again.  
A single tear rolled from her cheek, trailing down the purple bruise on her face. She turned away from him and bowed her head.

"I know." Guilt welled up inside him like a fungus, feeding off all of the dead remnants of his past and growing larger and larger with every former offence. "I'm sorry."

* * *

They didn't speak for hours.  
Zuko was afraid. Afraid to move, to speak.  
He would rather be undergoing more torture than have to sit next to her in silence.

His stiff legs ached, he was determined not to fall asleep before she did.

_Why couldn't I make the right decision when it counted the most?  
Why did I betray her? Betray Uncle? Betray Aang?_

Overwhelming guilt threatened to consume him. He felt angry at himself for being such a fool.  
He was desperate to make things right.

_Why am I so bad at being good?_

Zuko tried to think of something he could do or say to make her talk to him again.  
He hated himself for everything that he had done – and even more for everything that he hadn't.  
He was terrified of letting his old self taking over.

He chanted to himself in his head, trying to block out anything that threatened to bring him back down to the old Prince Zuko.  
The merciless, angry, terrifying Prince Zuko.

_I don't want to rely on rage or anger.  
All those terrible things I did.  
I've changed. I'm good now.  
I can't become that person again. I won't!_

Desperately, Zuko strained against his chains.  
He needed to be moving. To be somewhere else.  
So that he couldn't see her face. So that he could touch her skin through the bars and tell her a thousand times over that he was sorry.

_I am not my father!_

He pounded his hands backward into the wall in frustration and angrily let out a breath of fire.

_This is hopeless. She was right._

Her tiny voice piped up from the darkness. Zuko wondered if she'd heard his little tantrum.

"They're called the Sila Vatra."

_Thanks the Sages! _He though, glad that she had finally spoken to him.  
Anything was better than being left alone with his constant guilt!

His rage seemed to subside. He was grateful to Katara for speaking to him and bringing him back from oblivion.

He recognised the name.  
_Sila Vatra. _He replayed it over in his head, trying to remember where he had heard it.

A knot in his stomach appeared. He hadn't realized how bad the situation had been until hearing those words!  
_Sila Vatra._

After the hours of unbearable silence, Zuko wasn't quite sure if he could find his voice. He tried to clear his throat. Katara needed to hear this.

"It means 'Force of Fire'. They're a well-kept secret among Fire Nation Royalty." he frowned "And highly dangerous."

"So this is _your_ fault again." she huffed. Zuko flinched.

_I guess I deserved that._

"No. It's not. But they're too dangerous for public knowledge. Their organization has been around since the very beginning of the war." he frowned "My great-grandfather Sozin started them."

"So it _is_ your fault, then."

Zuko suppressed the urge to glare at her. He took a calming breath.

_Don't yell at her. Just be calm and don't say anything stupid._

"Indirectly, yes."

Katara finally turned to meet his gaze, after hours of staring at nothing but her hair and arms in chains. She looked despondent and tired.  
Large dark circles had begun to form under her eyes.  
Clearly, she hadn't wanted to be the first one to fall asleep either.

"So, what do they do? Apart from kidnap and torture? More Fire Nation jobs for the royalty? You know, beating the homeless, starving their children, drowning puppies?"

A puff of steam jetted from Zuko's nostrils, mixing with the dry steam already thick in the air. He tried not to sound huffy when he replied.

"They're a group of radicals. Really ruthless Fire Nation patriots. They're known for their cruelty and beliefs. Their sole concern is the Fire Nation. That anyone born of Fire Nation blood is above all else – more noble, more worthy. And anyone who doesn't support the Fire Nation or believe the same things that they themselves do tend to get the same treatment as us – mostly worse."

Katara shivered, she seemed to have finished sniping at him.  
Zuko continued. He didn't want to scare Katara, but she needed to know exactly what these men were capable of.

_Nothing good._

"It's worse than you think. The last report I heard of was before I was banished three years ago. They'd attacked a small fishing village in the Fire Nation. They village had been rumoured to have hidden some Fire Nation soldiers who had been accused of deserting. The Sila Vatra turned the place upside down. Destroyed everything. They found nothing. No soldiers. Nothing suspicious at all.  
But still, they felt that the townspeople were unworthy, dirty, tainted by rumours and lies. So they.." he took a deep breath, truly ashamed to speak of his countrymen's actions "They slaughtered every man in the village, raped the women and sold the children into slavery. My father covered up the conspiracy and blamed it on a group of rebel Earth Benders."

He watched Katara's face grown white. She looked as if she might be sick.

"That probably explains why The Warden is still in business." Zuko shut his eyes "I never knew. I was back at the palace and I never knew he had joined them. Even a man without anything can offer something under the Sila Vatra. He must have been a member for years, they all obey his commands without reason. How did I not know?"

_Did Mai know? Did she know that her uncle was doing all of these terrible things?  
Or worse, was she in on it too?_

He tried to block out all of the things that he had heard about the Sila Vatra.  
All the horror stories that had made him quail as a child. His father used to tell him about them, terrifying the life out of him. Used them as stories to scare him into good behaviour. Underlying threats.

_Now you know exactly what kind of power the Fire Nation possesses, Zuko.  
You know what we are capable of.  
There is no room for mercy in a war. Mercy is weakness and weakness leads to defeat._

"Zuko?"

Her small voice seemed to have disappeared. Colour was returning to her cheek and she looked defiant and brave.  
She looked as if she were ready for battle.

He himself had never felt more down-trodden.

"Yeah, Katara?"

"Tell me more about your plan."

* * *

**Authors Notes : Well, hopefully, that sorts out everybody's questions. I know you've all been wondering exactly how The Warden has still remained 'In business'.  
****Kind of angsty in this chapter, but we also had some warm Zutara fuzzies too.  
Plus, now you know that the escape plan wasn't just a rip-off from the show – there was a twist (though still situated around the whole Blood Bending aspect).  
Not a very pleasant escape plan, but what else is there? (hope Zuzu's not squeamish).**


	10. Zuko the Turtleduck

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters, Burning Rock part one and two and The Puppet Master.**

**Authors Note : Most of my previous chapters have been a little too angsty, so I've tried to add a little light humour into the beginning of this one. Obviously, angst is going to play a rather large part in the story until they escape, but as one of my reviewers quoted:**

"**When you have nothing else left, all you can do is laugh."**

**Too true.**

* * *

They had planned long into the night, covering every possible detail.

_What could go wrong? What's our best chance? Will this even work?_

At first, Katara had been truly terrified by the prospect of Blood Bending.  
She didn't like who she became whenever she used it, she didn't know how to cope with that kind of power.  
And she especially didn't want Zuko to see who she became when she did.

At first, she had been adamant that Zuko had been wrong.  
Blood Bending wasn't their only option. There could be a million and one other escape plans that they just hadn't seen yet!

But no matter how hard she tried, there seemed to be almost nothing else that they could do.

_This place is impenetrable. What else is there?_

She had spent a full two hours searching the changes in her body, trying to figure out the best time to execute their plan.  
She searched throughout almost every inch of her inner being, trying to trace and take note of any subtle changes she could detect.  
Anything that would help her to gauge the time of the next full moon.

How much longer did they have to wait?  
When was the next full moon?

She felt herself getting a little stronger and found it harder to sleep.  
She felt sure that it was the moons charge, getting stronger every day as it edged closer to central alignment.

_It must be close._

Eventually, she opened her eyes and awakened from her trance. Zuko had remained patiently silent the entire time, determined not to break her concentration. When Katara opened her eyes, she noticed that he had been staring at her.  
She tried not to blush in front of him.

She was incredibly grateful that he didn't mention it.

"My guess is that the next full moon will take place within the next five days. That's when we have to escape."

Inside, Katara wasn't really sure wether this was good news or bad news.  
It didn't seem too long to wait, but who knew what could happen within the next five days?

Her suspicions had been correct.  
The next day, Zuko had been dragged away by more black hooded guards and out of the dungeon.

No matter how much Katara had begged and pleaded with them, they had simply remained silent, heavily slamming the iron door behind them and leaving her in darkness.  
For hours, she had waited and listened.  
She wasn't sure wether to be worried or relieved when she heard no screaming.

_Please let him be okay. Don't hurt him. This won't work without him._

Though she hated to admit it, Katara needed Zuko.  
Without Zuko, escape would be near impossible!  
But somewhere in the back of her mind, a niggling feeling told Katara that escape wasn't all she needed Zuko for anymore...

She brushed the thought away, trying to concentrate on something else.

_Don't be so stupid. He'll be fine._

But worry began to take over as the long, lonely hours ticked by with no sign of Zuko. She stood up and paced back and forth in her cage.

_There's nothing to worry about. There's nothing wrong. He's fine. I'm fine. Soon, we'll be out of here and find Aang._

She was visited by another guard to give her some water.  
After she had finished, the guard unchained her (but not before removing the now empty cup of water) and let her out of her cage.  
Her cheeks flushed, knowing full well what it meant.

"You will cooperate and offer no resistance. You shall do what is required and return without argument. If you should attack, I am fully authorized to use force and Prince Zuko shall suffer the consequences for your actions."

Katara had heard this speech before, but it frightened her no less.  
There was no way she'd be able to cope if she got Zuko hurt.

She headed into the corner to do her business. She argued with the guard for a full five minutes, before he finally turned around and gave her some privacy.

_Pervert!_

There was nothing she could bend in here anyway, even if she wanted to attack.  
Well, there was one, but she point-blank refused to even consider it.

_That's disgusting! And I thought bending blood was bad!_

As soon as her bonds were returned and the guard left, Katara lay on the cold stone floor of her cage and tried to sleep.

* * *

She was woken by the scraping of metal and the same blinding light. Two guards entered the room, holding Zuko between them.  
His head was bowed and he flopped around like a rag doll.

_What if they hurt him again? _She thought, horror struck.

But when he was returned upright in his bonds, she could see that he was mostly untouched.  
Another black eye had arisen and the cut above his scar had re-opened, but that appeared to be the only damage.  
He said nothing. He just sagged in his chains as the guards closed the door behind them.

"Zuko?" she was almost afraid that he wouldn't answer "Zuko? Are you okay?"

His head swayed into an upright position, with a dopey smirk plastered on his face.

"Uh...yeah? Oh, I'm fine. I'm okay. Yeah. Great."

_What's with him? What's wrong with his voice?_

He seemed stupid, slow. Totally unlike the Zuko she was used to.  
He seemed to different. Katara wasn't sure she liked it.  
She raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure? You seem really...off."

His head flopped around. The smile still remained.  
She noticed that he tried to move his wrists around in their chains, like a gesture. It might have been a shrug.

"Zuko, are you...are you drunk?" Katara had never even thought about Zuko drinking before. He always seemed so proper, so responsible.  
Though, in this situation, he probably hadn't chosen to drink it in the first place.

"I don't...I don't really know. They just gave me some water and now I feel really...fuzzy. It's kinda weird. Everything's all...blurry." He laughed. "They wanted to know about Aang. But I told them that they could just go and jump in a volcano." The smirk on his face grew wider "That didn't go down with them very well. Now my eye hurts again."

The knot in Katara's stomach loosened. She'd been worried that he would have said something stupid and given them away.

"Great! While I'm in here worrying out of my skull, you're off getting drunk with the crazed Fire Bender radicals!"

She wasn't really angry at him. She knew he hadn't had a choice in the matter.  
But she was worried when he hadn't turned up.

_Don't leave me alone again, Zuko._

"Well, did they ask you anything else? Are you sure you didn't say anything you weren't supposed to by...by accident?"

Zuko seemed to think about this.  
From time to time, Katara could see him swaying on the spot and she was secretly glad that he couldn't move.

"Uhm, no. Mostly Avatar stuff. I didn't say a word." He paused "Hey, was I as big a jerk as these guys are?"

Katara had to try very hard not to laugh in his face.

"Uhm. You were..." she wasn't quite sure how to answer "Sometimes, you were a little, uh...difficult. But you weren't as bad as these guys. At least, not all the time."

Zuko looked a little disappointed.

_Perhaps I shouldn't have said that..._

But he seemed to recover pretty quickly and changed the subject.

"Hey, do you know that you look pretty in red? Cos you-cos you do."

Katara blushed a red so intense, it almost matched her Fire Nation clothes.  
Mentally, she slapped him. He was just saying stupid things because he was drugged.  
She really, really wished that he wouldn't. It was bad enough being locked in here with him when he was so mopey half the time, but now it was going to be a lot harder not to argue with him if he insisted on being an overly happy, grinning idiot.

"Zuko, shut up. You're talking like a crazy person. Just try and...just try and concentrate on something else until it wares off a little."

He bit his lip, as if he were thinking incredibly hard. Katara rolled his eyes.  
She wasn't quite sure which was worse, the scary, bad tempered Prince Zuko who'd chased them all over the world, or the useless, dopey drugged Prince Zuko!

"One turtleduck, two turtleduck, three turtleduck, four turtleduck..."

_Definitely scary, bad tempered Zuko..._

"Zuko?"

"Hm?" His head tilted, as if it were too heavy for him to hold up.

"What are you doing?"

He seemed to consider this for a long moment, as if he didn't quite know what he was doing himself.

"I'm keeping busy. Counting turtleducks."

Absentmindedly, Katara banged her head on the bars of her cage, cursing her luck. Her forehead hurt, but she was barely aware of it.

_Moon Spirits, save me now!_

She heard Zuko trying to stifle a laugh.  
She frowned, not bothering to raise her now throbbing head from the bars of the cage. Katara replied in a tone that sounded very bored. She felt as if she were taking care of a badly behaved child.

"What Zuko?"

Before, he burst out laughing, Zuko managed to utter one word.

"Quack."

* * *

It had taken almost three hours before the drug wore off.  
Katara had tried incredibly hard to ignore Zuko. Who'd have thought that he would have been reduced to such a crazy, babbling idiot?

He had managed to entertain himself for half an hour by creating a breath of flame and admiring it stupidly as it swirled in the air and went out.  
This carried on for quite some time.

By the end of it, Katara was very close to asking to be put back in the torture room.

Eventually, he dropped off to sleep and when he awoke again, the effects of the drug seemed to have worn off.  
Zuko complained of a large headache, but there didn't seem to be anymore lasting damage.

She wasn't quite sure what to say to him. What could she say?  
They had remained in an embarrassed silence.

"Uhm, I'm..I'm sorry if I was being a little weird."

She tried not to laugh.

_A little weird?_

"It's okay, Zuko. I know it was just the drugs. At least you're okay now and you didn't tell them anything about Aang."

"I wonder how he's doing."

Neither of them spoke. Katara knew Zuko was wondering about the Air Bender, just as she was.

_He'd probably be practicing his Earth Bending right about now._

"They're not coming, are they?"

Katara had been afraid to phrase the question for some time.  
She'd been worrying about it for the past few days, a terrible doubt in the back of her mind. Zuko lowered his head.

"I don't know."

Secretly, Katara had hoped that he would have said something different.  
Told her that everything was going to be okay and that right now, the others were probably fighting off the Sila Vatra to rescue them.

Zuko always seemed so sure and it made her feel more confident.

_But not this time._

Without realising she was doing it, Katara began to stare at Zuko's scar.  
It had always looked so fierce, so unbelievably terrifying.  
For so long, whenever she had thought of the Fire Nation, the memory of that scar had been lodged in her mind.

She vaguely remembered the Crystal Catacombs.  
She had touched his face, touched the scar. It had felt hot under her palm. The skin had reminded her of leather.

_Maybe you don't have to live with it._

Did it still hurt? Could he still see out of his damaged eye? What did he think when he touched it?

"Zuko, can I...can I ask you something?"

She felt as if she were taking a big chance.  
Why should he even tell her? It was really none of her business.

"Sure." He looked a little worried.  
Could he tell what she was thinking? Had he seen her staring at it?

"Your scar. Where did...how...how did it..." Katara began to feel like an idiot.  
Why was she asking him these things?

His head bowed low into his chest. Her heart tightened.

_Nice going, Katara._

She didn't expect him to answer.  
Why should he? It had been unfair of her to ask.  
But he did.

"Do you know why I was banished?" he asked her.

She shook her head.

"It had been my first war meeting. My fathers generals were planning an attack on the Earth Kingdom. One of them said something that I didn't agree with. I spoke out against his decision. I shouldn't have."

He didn't look at her. Katara stared sadly at his head, wondering if she had been right to ask him.

"My father...my father told me that I had been disrespectful to the general and that I was to be challenged to an Agni Kai." He sighed "A Fire Duel."

"When I stepped into the ring, I expected to see the general. But instead, I saw..." Zuko swallowed a lump in his throat "I saw my Father."

Katara gasped. She hadn't been prepared for such an answer.

_His...his own father did that to him?_

"He said that because I had spoken out in his War Room, it was an act of defiance against him. I begged him. I got down on my knees and begged him for forgiveness, but he wouldn't listen."

"That day, he marked me and banished me from the kingdom for cowardice. The only way I could ever return home was if I had the Avatar."

Zuko remained silent, with his head still resting on his chest.  
In his voice, there was no sadness, no anger. Just...emptiness.

_Zuko..._

Katara hadn't noticed a single tear falling from her cheek.  
She began to wish she had never asked.  
She knew that the Fire Lord was evil, but to _burn_ his own child? That was just sick. There were almost no words for it.  
She felt utterly speechless.

_It's okay, Zuko. We'll find him and stop him. Everything will be alright. I promise._

She desperately wanted to go over to him, to try and offer some sort of comfort. But she couldn't.  
Katara scuttled over to the edge of her cage, trying to get as close as possible.

"Zuko, I'm so sorry." her voice came out as a whisper. "I had no idea."

Finally, he looked at her.  
His blank expression revealed nothing. His voice was just as empty when he replied.  
She could see determination burning in his brilliant golden eyes.

"It's okay. When we get out of here, we can tear him down once and for all."

Katara was insanely glad to hear that he had used the word 'we'.

* * *

**Authors Note :**

Lol, Zuzu's a Turtleduck. Can you imagine anything cuter? P

**Ah, the angst returns.  
Terribly sorry about all the emo-ness, but well, their situation isn't exactly rainbows and daisies right now. Tried to keep this chapter fairly light-hearted (aside from the obvious scar discussion).  
Everything will get better soon. The escape is upon us.**


	11. Rise Of The Moon

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters, Burning Rock part one and two and The Puppet Master.**

**Authors Note : Haha! Glad to hear you guys enjoyed my last chapter so much. You won't believe the amount of reviews I got about 'Quack'. It was definitely a winner.  
Hopefully, there'll be much more humour when Zuko and Katara bust out.**

* * *

_Just one more day. Just one more day._

Zuko tried desperately to remind himself, as he tried to take his mind away from the pain.  
The day before, he'd received another beating by none other than The Warden himself. Zuko was surprised he hadn't sooner.

It wasn't too bad.  
A lot more bruising. More blood. Some difficulty breathing. What appeared to be a broken ankle. Plus, his good eye was swelling up.  
He was worried he'd have to rely on his bad eye when they escaped. He could still see out of it, but not very well.

Personally, Zuko thought he'd gotten away pretty well.  
He'd expected The Warden to do far worse.

This time, he hadn't asked about Aang or their plans for the day of the comet.  
Instead, he'd thrown wave after wave of threats and insults at him between each punch.

Apparently, The Warden intended to capture the Avatar (from what Zuko guessed, it sounded as if he wasn't having much luck) and use him to regain his standing with the Fire Nation.  
He then wanted to hand Zuko over to his father. A bounty had been placed on his head for treason and The Warden intended to use the reward money to buy back his possessions.  
But Zuko had tried to lunge at him when he told him what his plans for Katara were.

"Maybe I'll just keep her to myself. She can do my laundry, wash my dishes and maybe even make me a bubble bath."

His tone had been underhanded and sick. The look in his eyes sent Zuko into a frenzy.  
But his chains and several members of the Sila Vatra had seen to it that he didn't even come close to The Warden.

So, here he was, back in the dungeon.  
Thinking to himself once again, nursing new wounds and new troubles. He sighed.

_Just one more day._

Katara hadn't returned.  
She had been taken away by her guards just before he had.  
Zuko had nodded to her, their secret signal. She had shook her head.

_We can't, Zuko. Not now. Not until the Full Moon._

But Zuko wasn't quite sure he could stand another day in this hell hole.  
It wasn't the beatings, the hunger or the pain that bothered him.  
It was the boredom.

If anything, Zuko had began to welcome his 'meetings' with The Warden.  
At least then he got to move around and flex his muscles a bit.

Whenever he was escorted from the room, Zuko always tried to remember the route they took, though it was always made much harder by the black bag stuffed over his head.  
He always remembered that there was a certain space in the corridor that was especially drafty. He could hear noises from outside.  
This was the closest vantage point to the outside world.

So, each time he had been 'summoned', Zuko had tried to remember which directions he was taken in. Hopefully, they'd be able to find their own way to the exit when they escaped.

_Left, down a hundred yards, left again, right, down thirty yards, right..._

And so it went.  
Soon, Zuko felt pretty confident that he had memorised the route to freedom.  
He hoped to Agni that he wouldn't just be leading them into a training ground full of the Sila Vatra.

* * *

Eventually, Katara returned. She was dragged back into her cage and her chains were locked back into place.  
She coughed lightly – the first signal.  
It was time to start laying down the ground-works for their plan.

"How are you feeling, Katara? It must be _such_ hard work being so healthy!"

The guard stopped in his tracks, raising an eyebrow.  
He remained where he was, he wanted to see what was happening.

Katara frowned.

"I don't know, Jerk Bender. Does it hurt having to support your big, egotystical head all the time?"

Zuko tightened his fists and scowled.

"We wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for you!"

"If it weren't for me? You're the idiot who said we should go deeper into the woods! This is all _your_ fault!"

_Ouch. _That one was just a little too true for his liking.

The guard seemed to be enjoying himself. He crossed his arms and watched the show. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"You're so annoying! How do you expect to win a war by mothering the Avatar to death? Maybe he'll just give Ozai home-cooked brownies and they'll call a truce! I can't believe I ever wanted to join your stupid group!"

She kicked against the bars of her cage, looking furious.

"I didn't even want you to join us! You'll always just be_ Prince_ Zuko, so worried about regaining your stupid honour, it doesn't matter if you hurt anyone along the way!"

_Ouch. She must have really thought some of this through._

"Peasant!"

"Jerk!"

The guard turned to leave, closing the heavy door behind him. The smirk was still playing on his lips.  
They continued to make more loud, angry noise until they were sure he had gone.

Katara sighed.

"What a relief!"

Zuko frowned. It hadn't exactly made him feel overly confident.

"Hey! Come on, I'm not _that_ bad. If you wanted to say that stuff, you should have just-"

"Zuko, I was talking about the guard leaving."

He felt a fool. He stuck his bottom lip out, sulking.

"Well, some of those things you said were just a little too close to heart."

She looked offended and a little angry. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Don't be such an idiot, Zuko. We needed to make it look realistic. I wasn't exactly happy about some of _your _comments you know. And I don't mother Aang!"

Zuko decided to swallow his pride, no matter how much he hated it.  
It was all part of the plan.

"Do you think he bought it?" he asked.

A cunning smile played on her lips.

"Come on. With brilliant acting like ours? Of course he did!"

Zuko tried not to laugh. 'Brilliant acting' would hardly be his choice of words.  
But it had worked, and that was all that they needed.

"You know, you better not mess me up too badly tomorrow night." he said, jokingly. "I'm already pretty messed up on _one _side of my face."

Katara smiled, but cautiously.  
He guessed that she still hadn't quite gotten used to the history behind his scar. She wasn't sure how to react.

"I won't. I feel pretty bad about it already. I promise I'll heal you as soon as we're out of here. Hurting you like that just feels so unnecessary."

"It's necessary."

They sat in silence.  
Neither of them truly wanted to think about tomorrow and what it would bring.  
Just as an afterthought, Zuko asked her.

"Where are you going to be...uhm, _taking_ it from? Just so I know."

Katara looked uncomfortable. She shifted in her cage.

"Well. I thought about it. The best place would be your shoulder, where the collarbone meets the top of your arm. There aren't any main arteries in that area, so you won't lose too much blood and if you keep it upright, you should still be able to bend a little."

Zuko shuddered to think about it.  
What did it feel like when blood flew out of your own body?

"Just kept thinking about what I said. It's _voluntary. _It's just red water and I'm volunteering to let you use it."

Katara looked a little irked.

"Zuko, can we not talk about it anymore? I just don't want to have to think about it too much. I'm uncomfortable enough as it is, I don't want to think too much into it and have second thoughts."

Zuko stopped talking.

_She's right. No more second thoughts. No more second chances._

* * *

They were both nervous and anxious.  
Zuko's inner flame had told them it was morning.

_Tonight's the full moon._

They tried not to speak to each other.  
Zuko was worried.

_Would she have doubts?  
Will she go through with it?  
Will it hurt?  
Will I still be able to fight?  
Is this the night we're going to get out of here?_

He didn't convey any of his worries to Katara, for fear that she would confirm them.  
Then they'd have nothing. They'd be carted off to the Fire Nation like cattle.

Whenever either of them was visited by a guard, they would begin their sniping again.  
They would snap at each other and throw insults back and forth.

Needless to say, the guards often took great pleasure in letting them and usually stuck around a lot longer to watch them argue.  
Zuko wondered wether he was going to run our of insulting things to say.  
Apparently, Katara didn't have the same problem.

They weren't taken out of their cells. No visits from The Warden. Not much happened.  
When midday turned into afternoon, Zuko thought he would go mad.

_I can't wait any longer!_

He was desperate for something to do. Something to keep him occupied until the rise of the moon.  
When he tried to talk to Katara, she shunned him.  
Incredibly bored and a little annoyed, Zuko went back to his seemingly endless waiting game.

_Fourhundred thirty two turtleduck, fourhundred thirty three turtleduck, fourhundred thirty four turtleduck..._

"Zuko?"

He almost jumped out of his skin. Neither of them had made a sound for hours.

"Is it time?" he asked her expectantly.

"No, not for quite a while." Zuko grumbled.

_Fourhundred thirty five turtleduck..._

"But that's not what I wanted to say." Her voice seemed to waver. It seemed so fragile. Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?"

"If we...if the plan doesn't...doesn't work..." He didn't like where this conversation was headed  
"..and we end up dead, or in slavery" He _really _didn't like where the conversation was headed.

"I just wanted to...to thank you."

Zuko frowned.

_Thank me for what? For getting us captured? For making you use Blood Bending again?_

Now that she had started, Katara seemed as though she didn't want to stop.

"I mean, after all you did for me. You protected me against the Sila Vatra, you got yourself hurt really badly to save me, you stood up to The Warden and came up with this stupid, idiotic, crazy plan! I just..."

_Is she blushing?_

"...I don't think I could have made it through all of this without you, Zuko."

* * *

Zuko was stunned. He found he had absolutely no idea what to say.  
Katara had never spoken like that before – much less about him!  
When the silence drew on, Katara seemed to turn her head away from him.

He noticed that the bruise on her cheek had begun to go down a little.  
It was a sickly green and brown colour. But at least it was healing.

He tried hard not to let rage spill over him just thinking about it.  
Thinking about what she'd said.

"_...I don't think I could have made it through all of this without you, Zuko."_

Zuko had to talk to her, but wasn't quite sure what to say.

Vaguely, he heard his Uncle's voice.

"_Trust in yourself, Zuko. You'll find the answer."_

He took a deep breath.

"Katara?"

_What am I doing?_

She turned to look at him, her eyes a little guilty. She seemed as if she were expecting something – anything. Zuko hoped he was going to say the right thing.

"Yeah, Zuko?"

_What am I saying?_

He looked directly into her blue eyes. She looked so fragile, so slender. He feared she might blow away like a feather.

"If I had to, I'd do it all over again."

Katara had looked as if she were about to burst into tears.  
She kept her head bowed, but Zuko could see what looked like a smile on her face.

_I can't believe I just said that..._

Mentally, Zuko slapped himself on the forehead.

_Why am I so bad at talking to girls?_

He half expected Katara to ignore him, or maybe kick her shoe at him.  
He wouldn't blame her.

"You're so different."

Zuko nearly jumped. He couldn't sense any sarcasm in her voice. She sounded genuinely...happy.  
He didn't reply, chancing his luck.

"I'd almost given up hope after the Crystal Catacombs. I thought that you'd made up your mind for good. But you've really showed me how much you've changed." she bowed her head again, but with the same lingering smile lighting up her face  
"Zuko, don't you see? This is who you were meant to be!"

He couldn't keep himself from smiling.

"I only wish I'd found out sooner."

Katara returned his smile.  
He'd never seen her so joyous.  
Almost every one of their encounters had seen them locked in battle, serious and angry. But he'd never really seen her so comfortable. So happy. She suited it well.

He wanted to jump for joy. To dance. To shoot flame out into the heavens.  
Finally! She had seen him for who he was, who he was striving to be.

He _had _changed!  
And he was immensely happy that she could finally see it.

"Katara, I-"

She stiffened. Zuko frowned, instantly alert.

_What is it? Did I say something wrong?_

"Zuko!"

She sounded excited and at the same time, deadly serious. Zuko instantly realized what she meant.

"I can feel it. It's risen. The Full Moon is finally here!"

* * *

**Authors Notes : Dun dun duuuun! Sorry guys, I know how**** much you hate cliffhangers. But not to worry, all will be revealed shortly.  
Didn't you just love all the warm, Zutara fuzzies?  
I like this chapter. It gave them time to bond and get to know each other a little better. And who can blame them? Waiting is pretty damn boring, especially when your life depends on it!**


	12. Escape

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters, Burning Rock part one and two and The Puppet Master.**

**Authors Note : You've all been waiting for it, but the escape plan is finally here! How will they escape? Will it work? Oh the suspense! P**

* * *

She thought Zuko looked a little...disappointed.

_Maybe he's nervous._

"Are you sure?"

Katara nodded to him.  
Every fibre in her body felt completely charged and ready to go. She never felt this energetic.  
There was no doubt about it – the full moon had risen.

"Zuko. Don't...don't do anything stupid, okay?"

He nodded back to her. His face was grim and determined.  
Katara hoped that she looked nearly as ready as he did. She tried to raise herself to her full height, holding her chin up high.

"It's now or never."

She looked back at him.  
Was she really ready to do what was necessary?  
Could she really hurt him like that so that they could escape?

She knew she didn't want to. But she also knew that she had to.

"Now or never."

They took one last, lingering glance at each other. He looked so ready. So right.

_Will this be the last time that I see him? That he see's me?_

She took a deep breath and prepared herself for what was to come.

With that, she began banging at the bars of her cage and screaming.  
Katara tried to make as much noise as possible. Part of her felt stupid, throwing a pretend temper tantrum.

Finally, she heard hurried footsteps outside and the scrape of the heavy iron door.  
The hooded guard stood in the doorway, glaring at her as if she were in incompetent child.

Katara tried to put on her most angry and difficult face. She pouted and frowned.  
Zuko sighed heavily, his voice raised as if he too were angry.

"It's about time you got here! She's been driving me crazy!"

Katara shot him a threatening glance.

"Shut it, Jerk Bender."

_Please let us get this right._

The guard did not look amused.  
She threw her head up at him. If her arms had been free, she would have crossed them for dramatic effect.

Katara tried to make her voice quieter, as if she were embarrassed.

"I need to use the bathroom."

The guard rolled his eyes. Zuko stuck his tongue out and made a gagging sound.

"Can't you hold it? I don't want to have to see that! It's disgusting!"

She stuck her tongue out right back at him.

"No, it can't! I'm not particularly happy about you watching me either! _Pervert."_

"What? You've got to be kidding! You're the last person I'd want to end up looking at!"

Secretly, Katara's heart clenched up into a little ball. She tried not to let it show, feeling very self conscious.

_It's just part of the act._

She glared at the guard as if he were personally responsible for the affront.

"Well? Why are you just standing there? Are you going to let me out or what?"

_Please..._

He remained silent for a moment, as if he were thinking hard about what to do.  
His voice sounded exactly like all the others. Maybe it was the same person.  
She found it hard to tell any of them apart.

"Neither prisoner shall be released whilst the other is within the same proximity."

Her heart sank, but she was determined.

"Oh, don't be so stupid. Even if there was anything to bend in here, which there's _not_, do I really look like I would want to save Prince Angry Pants over there? Just let me out so we can get this over and done with already!"

Zuko frowned.  
Katara could see that his old side, the scary Zuko, seemed to be doing most of the acting. She wasn't sure she liked it.

"As if I'd even_ need_ your help anyway! I could get out of here myself!"

She rolled her eyes, trying to sound sarcastic.

"Yeah and I guess you're still here because of the five star catering service?"

She could see the guard smiling.  
They were slowly making headway.

"You know, you're really asking for it, Water Bender!"

Katara stuck her nose up and turned back to the guard.

"Go on! Get on with it! Or would you rather I just go here on the floor?"

Zuko made more gagging noises.  
After an uncomfortable moment, the guard seemed to make up his mind.

_Thank the Moon Spirits!_

Unlocking the door to her cage, the guard clambered inside and released her manacles.  
She rubbed her wrists painfully. They were really beginning to feel sore.

"You shall cooperate and offer no resistance. You will do what is required and then-"

"Yeah yeah, I've heard it before! Pee and return to the cell without any funny business, got it!"

Katara clambered out of the cage and dropped onto the floor.  
Her legs felt a little wobbly. She hadn't exactly been using them a lot lately.

_I hope they still work when it counts._

She shot an acidic look at Zuko.

"And what are you looking at? I thought you couldn't stand the sight of me!"

Zuko looked strained.  
She wasn't sure if the vein in his neck was just really good acting, or that she was actually making him angry.  
His lips had become a single, thin line.

"I'm just trying to imagine what you'd look like stuck at the bottom of the ocean. Because when I get out of here, that's where I'm going to put you! And we'll see if your precious Water Bending will be able to save you then..."

Katara threw up her arms, in mock aggression. She balled them into fists and glared at him.  
The guard didn't seem to be interested in stopping her. He was just enjoying the show.

_Probably hoping we'll rip each other apart._

"I can't believe I'm going to die here with you! Of all people and it had to be you! Why me?"

"Can't get enough of me, can you?"

* * *

Katara was momentarily stunned.  
Her cheeks flushed as she tried to compose herself.  
Hopefully, the guard would mistake it for rage.

A terrifying moment had passed where she had thought all was lost. But both she and Zuko were still okay.  
The guard seemed to be buying it. The act could continue.

"Zuko! You are such a jerk!"

He smirked diabolically. It scared her a little. It reminded her so much of the old Zuko.  
She didn't like their game anymore.  
He seemed to be letting out his old feelings along with the anger. And it worried her.

Time to get on with the plan...

"Too bad, Peasant!"

Her skin felt clammy and she realized how dry her mouth was.

_Here it comes. If I can't do it hard enough, everything is lost._

Quickly, she balled her hands into fists and in two strides, she reached up to him and punched him as hard as she possibly could in the nose.  
Unexpectedly, the guard burst out laughing.

_I can't believe out of all the plans, that was our best!_

Katara clutched at her swelling fist. She'd never hit anybody in her life!  
Zuko's face was fixed into a grimace. Pain? Surprise? Worry?

_Please let it work. Please let it work._

She looked at him. Tears threatened to well up. Nothing was happening!  
The guard remained hunched over, grabbing his sides and laughing.  
She hoped and prayed.

_Please. Please..._

Slowly, a small stream of blood began to trickle from Zuko's nose, where she'd struck him. He smiled deviously, some of the blood mixing into his mouth.  
Elation and triumph filled her.

Quicker than a gust from Aang's Air Bending, Katara flicked her wrist, calling up the blood from his nose and forming it into a slender pointed shape.  
She tried to hide it in her hand. It was only small. No bigger than the length of her index finger. There hadn't been enough blood for anything bigger.

Had the guard noticed?  
She sighed when all she could hear was the roaring laughter behind her. Good.

She froze the crystal dagger in her palm. She looked up at Zuko.  
His eyes were bright and alight with the inner flame. He looked like a man possessed. He was willing to do what was necessary, but was she?  
The determined sparkle in his golden eyes spoke every word.

_Don't wait, Katara! Do it now!_

She mouthed two words to him, 'I'm sorry'.  
Then, closing her eyes and gritting her teeth, she slid the razor sharp edge of the crystal into Zuko's skin. It went in deep and blood seeped out. The guard had stopped laughing.

* * *

Katara wanted to be sick.

_It's just red water. It's just red water. It's just red water._

The guards mouth opened. But before he could call out, Katara drew a stream of blood out from Zuko's shoulder and whipped him in the face with it. The guard fell to the floor, unconscious.

Katara looked back at Zuko. He had gone incredibly pale and looked frozen. He closed his eyes and breathed out.

"I'm so sorry! Zuko! I'm so sorry! Did I take too much from-"

"Katara, not now! We don't have much time!"

He sounded as if he'd just gotten back up after falling from a four hundred foot cliff. But the look of determination remained.  
He wanted to feel the sun again – and soon.  
She nodded. They couldn't waste time!

Silently, she sent the crimson water whip toward him.  
The chains rattled as they fell to the floor, a clean cut separating them from the wall. Zuko fell to the floor, but got back up again quickly. He had obviously remembered what she had told him.

_Keep your shoulder elevated. Make sure you don't lose too much blood._

"Are...are you?"

Zuko made a dark, rumbling sound.

"Not now. Let's go."

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the door.  
He wasn't as slow as she had expected him to be. He still seemed sure footed and confident, just a little slower.

_And bloodier._

She wondered where he found all of the energy.  
How was he still so quick? How was he managing this?

_Why is he always so good at everything?_

Zuko heaved open the heavy iron door, wincing. The gleaming cut in his shoulder was seeping blood faster than she had expected. She was petrified!

_Did I cut him too deeply?_

Sticking his head around the door to check for any more guards, Zuko dragged her out into the corridor. His hold on her wrist never slackened.  
He held on firmly and guided her through the halls at a jog.

She could hear him talking to himself as they hobbled along.

"Left, down a hundred yards, left again, right, down thirty yards, right..."

They didn't encounter any problems until five minutes into the escape attempt.

From behind a door stepped two members of the Sila Vatra, talking to each other.  
Zuko tried to pull them back around the corner, but it was too late – they had been spotted!

One of the Sila Vatra sounded the alarm, bellowing that there had been an escape. The other hurled a jet of flame directly down the corridor at them. They only just managed to avoid it by ducking back around the corner. Zuko let go of her hand and shot back his own flame at the man.

_Did it...did it seem weaker? Smaller?_

Katara pulled him back around the corner. She had kept the cloud of blood suspended behind her as they jogged and sent darts of it toward the Sila Vatra, freezing them in midair.  
It caught one of them, effectively pinning him up against the wall.  
The other fell backwards as another jet of intense flame shot from behind her. He didn't get back up.

Latching onto her wrist with his good arm, Zuko began tugging her back down the corridor.  
They stepped over the two members of the Sila Vatra and bolted away. Katara could tell Zuko was slowing down.

_He shouldn't be pushing himself. He shouldn't!_

She heard him taking up the chant again as they ran.

"Left, another left, down fifty yards, right..."

Katara wanted to stop him. To tell him to slow down, so he could stem the flow of the blood. But his grip on her wrist was sure and protective.  
Even if she asked him to, there was no way he was letting go.

They turned another corner, right into a group of armed Sila Vatra. There were three of them, armed with bows.  
Zuko grunted, ducking back around the corner, an arrow whizzing past his left ear.

"Yu Yan archers too? You've _got_ to be kidding me!"

He stepped back into the line of fire and disintegrated a swarm of arrows with a fiery blast that engulfed him.  
Zuko sucked in a breath and clutched at his bleeding shoulder.  
Katara turned the corner before he could get hurt. She sent her crimson blood whip towards the bow strings, snapping them as easily as a strand of wheat and sending them careening backwards.

_A blood whip..._

Katara tried to calm herself, remembering Zuko's words.

_It's just red water. Just red water._

She twisted it around her body, creating a shield and weapon in one. Two of the Yu Yan archers flew against the wall and crashed to the floor. The third tried to turn and run the other way.

"He's mine!"

Zuko bolted past her with a trail of blood dripping after him. He delivered a swift kick into the mans back and sent him toppling over. He writhed on the floor, clutching at his back.

* * *

They were on the move again.

"Zuko...Zuko!" Katara tried to pant as they ran. She was so tired and she could feel the moon lowering in the sky.

_Not good._

"Zuko, you have...you have to..slow down. You're going to...get yourself...hurt."

But he ignored her.  
Katara didn't know if she could keep running much longer. Her lungs seemed to be on fire.

How long had it been since she'd exercised? And how long was this stupid corridor? It seemed to go on forever!

They turned a left corner and were blocked yet again.  
Katara could feel a taste in the air, something different, pleasant. It was so much cooler here.  
She felt closer to real earth than she had in a long time.

"Katara! There!"

Zuko pointed to the door the Sila Vatra were blocking – the exit.  
They wasted no time in attacking.  
Two of the guards sent a wave of heat at her.  
Katara used her whip to cut it down the middle just before it reached her. She came through untouched.  
But it wouldn't last long. Her blood whip was running out! It was evaporating in all the heat!

"Zuko! I can't keep this up! I'm running out!"

He shot fists of fire at his attackers, flame bursting from his limbs as he spun a kick.

"Then take more!"

Katara batted away another jet of flame, lashing out at her enemy. He didn't rise again.

"No, Zuko! You need it!"

_I don't have enough for a Penta Pus. How much longer will it last?_

"Just take it!"

"No!"

A Sila Vatra slashed at Zuko with a sword. He ducked, avoiding it. But he wasn't quick enough when a booted foot sent him flying to the ground.  
Zuko clutched at his shoulder and cried out in agony as it hit the floor. His entire arm was drenched in blood! It dripped down onto the floor beside him and covered his neck and chest.

_What have I done to you?_

"Zuko!"

Katara darted in front of him, before the Sila Vatra could strike again.  
She circled the dwindling supply of blood over her hands and froze it. Using all her might, she struck at the guards stomach. He hunched over, winded.

"Two left."

Zuko had risen from the floor, still clutching at his shoulder. Vaguely, Katara could hear shouts and footsteps echoing down the halls.

"Katara, I can't bend anymore!" Zuko looked at her with a fearful expression - like his arm had just been cut off. He couldn't fight _or _Fire Bend!

"You won't have to!" she cried. The noises were getting louder.  
She could hear a roaring, someone yelling. Metal boots thumping on concrete. Orders being given. Curses.

She froze with horror.

_The Warden! He's coming!_

Holding her palms out, Katara spread the last remnants of Zuko's blood into the air.  
Desperately trying not to think about what it was she was about to do, she clapped her hands and the particles of blood exploded.  
They spread through the air, thick and dank.  
It was like a mist. A bloody, red mist!

Katara could hear the remaining guards darting around and yelling. They couldn't see.  
They were wiping blood from their eyes and mouths, screaming in horror and disgust. Katara shivered, trying not to burst into tears.

_It's just red water. Just blood. It's...Zuko's blood!_

She grabbed Zuko's hand. He felt heavy and sluggish. She hoped to the spirits that she wouldn't have to carry him.

"Come on!"

Waving her free hand, she parted the blood away from them to clear a path. They headed for the door.  
Using the last of his strength, Zuko kicked fiercely at the lock, breaking the door. It swung outwards and a gust of wind hit Katara in the face.  
Air! Fresh air!

They didn't have time to waste!

Dragging Zuko along as fast as she could, Katara headed into surrounding woods.  
Zuko began to sag down, clutching at his shoulder. She willed him on, pulling him upright and trying to support him.

Sometimes she could hear him whisper her name.

"Don't give up on me, Zuko. Not now."

The stars were her guide and she darted through the tree's as quickly as she'd ever run in her entire life. They had to keep moving.  
They had to find water and they had to get to safety.

Behind her, she could see the sky light up with steady blasts of fire and hear The Warden howling.

* * *

**Authors Note :  
Well, it wasn't pretty, but they did it!  
Perhaps punching Zuzu in the nose was a little mean – but she had to get blood somehow!  
I'm really worried about this chapter, anticipating the reviews (if any). I've always thought my battle scenes were pretty bad. Hopefully, you guys will prove me wrong. fingers crossed that you all liked it**


	13. The Awakening

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters, Burning Rock part one and two and The Puppet Master.**

**Authors Note : Okay, it's Q and A time! These are some of the questions put forward to me by you – the reviewers. I'll try answer as best I can.**

**--**

**How long does it usually take you to write a chapter? Cos you update really, really fast.**

**It depends really. If I'm really into it, it shouldn't take much more than fourty minutes. Then an extra fifteen to read back over it and check stuff.**

**Ew blood mist! Totally gross! Where did you get the idea for that?**

**I was just thinking how best to let them escape relatively undetected whilst I was re-watching 'The Painted Lady'. And as Katara is able to make mist (see in the episode), I thought that it should also be possible to create with blood. Plus, it's grim and angsty. P**

**If Katara was running out of blood, why didn't she take more from the guards bodies?**

**If you read over my last chapter very carefully, you'll see that none of the guards actually died. I was very particular about this, as Avatar is a children's programme after all. The only fatality so far has been Jet, Zhao (and Yue, I guess), but you didn't actually see any of them physically die. Could you see the original characters killing someone in cold blood? Not really.  
I wanted to stay as authentic as possible. Plus, if Katara had killed someone, it would have taken me about three or four chapters of her having a mid-life crisis lol.**

**What's going to happen to the warden?**

**Ah, we will come to that bridge soon. You didn't think I'd let that horrible old man get away without any ass-whoopings, did you? He is a total douche, after all.**

**Can I do some fan art for your fic?**

**By all means. I'm very flattered that anyone likes my story enough to illustrate it.  
I've done a few myself just for kicks. Links are on my profile if you wanna take a look.**

* * *

Zuko was dreaming of Ba Sing Se before he woke up.  
He dreamt he was flying high above the city and looking down over it. He could see all of the delicate buildings and blobs of green as little people passed by, wearing their nations colours. Everyone seemed happy.

But then he could hear screaming. Everything was burning.  
People were falling in the streets, their clothes aflame. He saw himself at the steps to the palace, laughing.  
He was burning them.  
He was burning Ba Sing Se!

Zuko woke screaming.  
He sat bolt upright in a cold sweat. But then a shooting pain sent him back down again.  
His head hit the floor and throbbed. He clutched an arm over his shoulder and then his head. Everything hurt.  
It felt as if he'd taken part in an Earth Bending convention as the target and hadn't properly stretched first either.

It was dark.  
He could hear the sound of running water. It was loud – very loud.  
Slowly, Zuko relaxed his face and opened his eyes. He could see a grey ceiling and even darker walls.  
Tenderly, he removed the hand from his shoulder.  
He expected to see blood. There was none.

_Where am I? _He thought. _Am I dead?_

Zuko took a deep breath. Slowly, he sat up.  
He tried to ignore the muscles screaming and tightening. He felt a little cold. Even his inner flame wasn't enough to keep him warm here.  
In the back of his mind, he realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt. His shoes had gone too.  
He couldn't see Katara anywhere. Momentarily, he panicked.

_Katara? Did she make it? Is she okay?_

His head darted around, searching for her. In the corner, he could see her sandals propped against a rock, along with his boots.

_So she has been here. Maybe she left._

The roaring in his ears didn't go away. He was beginning to wonder if he was turning deaf when he turned around.  
He jumped as he saw the mountainous curtain of crashing water falling in front of him.  
Zuko had expected it to come hurtling toward him, but it didn't.

Slowly his brain began to make sense of things. It looked like a waterfall.

Zuko ran a hand over his forehead and through his hair. It felt good to be able to move his arms and legs again. He's been worried they wouldn't work at all after the lack of exercise.

_So we're near water. Surely Katara's around here somewhere?_

For a moment, he debated wether he should look for her or not. Eventually, his worry won over and he braced himself.  
He flinched as he stood up.  
He wasn't bleeding anymore. His ribs didn't hurt and he found it easier to breathe. But felt very strained and sore.

_She must have healed me._

Zuko chanced it and tried to flex out his aching joints.  
The muscles seemed to creak under his skin as he stretched his arms out and behind his back. His legs felt a little uncertain, so he took care whilst he stretched them out.

Ignoring the pain, Zuko took some uneven steps toward the curtain of rushing water blocking the entrance to the cave.  
At least he guessed it was a cave.

It didn't take him as long as he thought to reach it. Zuko frowned slightly, wondering exactly how he was going to ascend. There didn't seem to be any footfalls or ledges he could climb down on. No pathways or anything.

_How did she get me up here?_

For a full ten minutes, Zuko paced back and forth at the edge, looking for a way down. He couldn't find one.  
If he had been at his full strength, he might have simply jumped through the curtain of water.  
But he wasn't sure exactly how steep the drop was, or what was waiting on the other side.

Instead, he waited.  
He paced backward and forth, surveying the tiny cave. He couldn't find Katara anywhere.  
He tried not to panic. She always came back eventually.

_Maybe they captured her?  
Did we even escape or is this some new torture chamber especially for me?_

He sighed. It definitely sounded like something The Warden would come up with.  
He himself had been stuck in The Cooler at The Boiling Rock. It hadn't exactly been the most pleasant experience of his life.

Zuko was determined not to worry. So he kept moving.  
He didn't dare attempt to practice his fighting or bending, he knew that if he did, he'd be answering for it. His muscles simply weren't going to cooperate.  
So instead he sat on the cold stone floor and crossed his legs.

He closed his eyes and began taking in deep breaths. In through the nose and out through the mouth.

_Just relax. Think logically. Just relax and don't think about anything._

But Zuko found that meditating was a lot easier back at the Air Temple, where he had no worries, no distractions.  
Unlike most people, Zuko did not find the sound of running water soothing. He loathed it. It annoyed him and broke his concentration.

_I hate waiting and I hate water._

A shiver ran through Zuko's back as the cold began creeping in.  
Momentarily, he remembered the icy waters of The North Pole. That had been one experience he was glad to have over.

As he had swam past the turtleseels, all he had thought about was sleeping.  
He wanted to curl up in a ball of heat and never wake up.  
But of course, Zuko knew that that was the absolutely worst thing you could do. That's when hypothermia set in.  
You'd think you were drifting off into a peaceful sleep, when in actual fact, you'd simply be freezing to death.

_How do the Water Tribe cope with this daily?_

He let out a breath of flame to warm himself up.

_At least I can still bend._

Closing his eyes, he tried to meditate. To let everything go and just sink into a soothing trance...

A loud rushing sounded over the cascading waterfalls and Zuko stiffened.  
Suddenly, the almighty curtain of water parted in two and in jumped Katara, carrying a bundle of logs. She looked tired and beaten, but free.

* * *

Zuko almost jumped out of his skin with surprise.  
He immediately shot up from his sitting position and then wished he hadn't as each muscle in his body tightened in protest.  
He sucked in a breath and rubbed his shoulder.

Katara beamed when she saw him. All the sadness and fatigue disappeared from her face as her joy took over.  
Dropping her collection of wood on the floor, she rushed forward and threw her arms around him in a hug.  
Zuko blinked stupidly with his mouth open. His own arms remained at his sides.  
He tried very hard not to swear. She'd just crushed his already throbbing muscles in her embrace and it hurt - alot.

_Do I...do I hug her back?_

As quickly as it had happened, Katara pulled away again.  
She turned away from him, but not before Zuko could see the intense red blush on her cheeks. They both tried to compose themselves.

"I uh...I'm glad to see you, Katara." He put a hand behind his head, looking at the floor. He was glad she couldn't see him blushing either.

Katara crossed her arms, still facing away from him.

"Yeah. It's...it's good to see you too, Zuko. You look much better."

For a moment, they both stood in silence. The only sound was the crashing of the waterfall, which had pulled itself back into a single flowing curtain.  
Finally, Katara turned around to face him. Her normal colouring had returned and her smile had now disappeared.  
Zuko sighed as he rubbed the back of his aching neck.

"So...we did it."

Katara nodded, her arms still crossed.

"Yeah. Guess we did."

More silence.

"So...so what happened? I can't remember much. Did we,uh..."

Zuko felt small and stupid. What was he supposed to say?  
Katara looked at the floor and bit her lip, as if she were thinking.

"Zuko, do you want some water?"

Zuko perked up, only just noticing how dry his mouth was. He nodded to her and started walking towards the waterfall.

"Sure."

He cupped his hands. He was about to place them under the waterfall, as Katara stepped beside him.

"Uh, Zuko. I wouldn't do that. The currents pretty strong. You might get pulled off the ledge. Plus, there might be some nasty stuff in there and we can't afford for you to get sick."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Well, how am I supposed to drink then? We don't exactly have any camping supplies with us."

Katara rolled her eyes, looking a little annoyed. She pointed to herself.

"Water Bender – hello! Now open your mouth."

"What?"

"I said open your mouth, genius."

Feeling foolish, Zuko opened his mouth.

_Now she's feeding me like a baby! This is humiliating._

Katara twirled her hands delicately and a small stream of water parted from the crashing waterfall.  
She twirled it in her hands and created two balls. One, she threw to the ground.

"What did you do that for?" Zuko asked her, head tilted.

"I just removed all of the dirt and twigs. You don't want to get sick. Or do you just want to start eating everything like a pandafrog? Now open your mouth."

Zuko crumpled his face and sulked. He felt completely ridiculous.  
He opened his mouth and Katara carefully slid the water into it.

Zuko wanted to sigh with happiness as the sweet, cold water touched his tongue and flooded down his dry throat.  
He tried not to think of the damage she could cause him if she got angry.  
When he had finished, he sighed happily. He felt much better.

_Thank Agni, how I've missed that!_

Katara's smile had returned. But it was only faint.

"Zuko?"

Zuko leant back onto one of the cave walls, it's damp surface sticking to his clammy skin.

"Yeah?"

"I was..." she looked down. The smile had vanished. "I was...you were...you were hurt really badly, Zuko. I thought that you weren't going to make it."

Her voice was small and meek. He had a hard time to hear her over the crashing of the waterfall.  
Her shoulders were hunched and she looked utterly defeated. He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a single glistening tear fall to the floor.

"Katara. It's okay. I'm fine now."

_Was it really that bad? Did I...did I almost die? _

She didn't look at him.

"But its_ not_ okay, Zuko. I hurt you. I hurt you really badly. I almost...I almost _killed _you."

Zuko held his hands in front of him, as if he were about to say something.  
But he didn't know what to say. He just wanted to show her that it didn't matter. They were both alright. They were free.  
But he said nothing.

_Please Katara. Please don't cry. Not for me._

Katara's shoulders heaved up and down, but he couldn't hear her cry. She sounded as if she were in agony as she spoke.  
He looked on, guilty and horrified as she let it all out.

"What they did to you was bad enough. There was internal damage and I didn't know. I should have guessed! And I just made it worse by taking away your blood. And you needed it. And I had to work so hard. I thought you weren't going to make it! You weren't well, Zuko."

She covered her face with her hands and bent over.  
Zuko opened his mouth a little. He hated seeing her like this. This wasn't the strong, hard-headed Katara that he knew.  
She continued between sobs.

"And it was on my hands and in my hair. I hurt people with it. I hurt people with _your _blood! It was in the air and in my mouth. It was everywhere and you were so tired. I just kept pushing you and pushing you. But you needed it and I took it away from you...and you were almost...you almost..."

_Katara..._

Moving away from the wall, Zuko knelt down beside her and placed a hand on her back.  
Turning to face him, Katara thrust herself into his chest and wrapped her arms around him. Her tears were hot against his skin and her hair covered her face.  
He held her against him and put his hand on her head as she cried.

"It's okay Katara. It's okay."

* * *

They had talked long into the night.  
After a while, Katara had stopped crying and moved away from him quickly, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Awkwardly, they sat together in the centre of the cave around the small campfire Zuko had started from the logs she'd brought. They made sure to keep it small in case it could be spotted from the outside.

Katara told Zuko everything.  
He had been asleep for almost three days.

After they had escaped into the woods, Katara had desperately tried to throw the guards off their trail. She altered her direction time after time, dragging him along with her. Several times, she feared that they would be caught, but they managed to stay undetected.  
After they'd had been running for almost half an hour, Katar had found the valley. It had been completely untouched.  
Surrounded by trees, the waterfall fell from the large cliff above and into a heavy river running at the bottom.  
Katara had instantly drenched Zuko in water, desperate to heal him. But she feared that soon, they would be found.  
So, she'd searched for shelter. After searching for longer than she was comfortable with, Katara had almost given up on finding anything, when she'd spotted a small dark space between the edge of the cliff and the waterfall.  
With Zuko still desperately in need of a healer, she had dragged him into the water.  
Using her bending, she had sent them both upwards into the air on a jet of water. She had used it like a geyser, able to support both her and Zuko's weight.  
It was then she'd begun healing him inside the refuge of the small cave.

"It took almost the entire night to heal you. I was so worried. You'd lost so much blood and there were more problems than I'd thought. You had broken ribs and a punctured lung. There was bruising everywhere, inside and out. Plus your shoulder."

_I guess she wasn't joking._

Zuko was surprised when he looked at his shoulder. There wasn't any hideous bruising or swelling.  
He _did_ have a long thin scar on his shoulder, where the blood blade had slid in, but it looked as if it had healed and closed up years ago!

"And I've been waiting for you to wake up ever since."

Zuko poked at the fire with a stick. His stomach rumbled, but it was far too late to go hunting now.  
He felt he should say something about earlier.

"Katara. What you did...it was necessary. If you hadn't done what you'd done, who knows what would be happening to us now? You shouldn't feel guilty, you should feel proud. You saved us both, Katara. And you've healed me. I'm fine. Better than fine. If it weren't for you, I don't know where I'd be right now."

_I guess I really owe you one._

He looked into her eyes and placed his hand over hers. Her skin felt smooth and cool. She seemed a little taken-aback, but she smiled weakly.

"I never thought I'd see the day! Fire Nation Prince Zuko giving a compliment to a Water Bender Peasant." Her tone wasn't spiteful or argumentative. She was joking, teasing him.

Zuko smiled back at her gently and leant back on his rock.  
He felt a lot more at home now that the fire had been lit. His body temperature was returning to normal.  
He grinned when he replied, placing both hands behind his head and looking up at the domed ceiling.

"Don't get used to it. It takes a lot to impress me."

Katara's mouth pulled at one side into a smirk as she raised an eyebrow. She crossed her arms.

"Is that so? I guess I'll just have to try harder then."

They both looked at each other, smiling. For a moment, everything felt still and peaceful. They were hungry, damp and alone, but they were free.

_Free..._

Zuko took advantage and breathed in the cool, refreshing air.

"I never thought I could miss breathing so much."

Katara laughed and spread her legs out. She seemed much happier, like she had cried away all the hurt and sadness.

"I'm just glad I can bend again. When we were in there and I couldn't do anything, couldn't bend, it felt like I'd lost a part of myself."

Zuko nodded. He knew full well what it felt like to be denied a part of yourself. All benders did at some point.  
Bending was just part of who they were.  
It wasn't a skill, it was an extension of themselves.  
It made them who they were.

They sat in a comfortable silence, listening to the crackling of the fire.  
The roaring waterfall echoed around the walls of the cave.  
Zuko kept his eyes on the ceiling when he asked her the question that they'd both been thinking.

"So, what now?"

Katara shrugged, not looking at him either.

"I don't know. I guess we should try and get back to the Air Temple."

"Do you know where we are?"

Katara stuck out her bottom lip and frowned.

"No."

Zuko crossed his arms over his legs and poked at the fire again with a stick. It was slowly dying into embers and they'd run out of firewood.

"I don't think this fire's going to last into the night."

"But it's freezing! I thought I'd collected enough!"

Zuko blushed a fierce red and looked away from her. His voice came out like a single, incoherent grumble. Katara looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What?"

Zuko coughed uncertainly. He still didn't look at her.

"I said that maybe...we could,uh...we could...share body heat."

Katara slapped herself on the forehead and blushed.

"Maybe I should just go back to prison..."

* * *

**Authors Note : You wanted Zutara fuzzies – this chapters certainly got em! Zuko's not great with comforting, but the big lug does have a heart. Loving all the fuzzies right now.  
I wanted this chapter to be a bit of a wind-down after all of the excitement of the last few chapters.  
Hopefully it answered everyone's questions.**

**Sorry this chapter took a little longer than usual. I had to do some recording today and the last day of college and boyfriend and yada yada yada.**


	14. Star Struck

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters, Burning Rock part one and two and The Puppet Master.**

**Authors Note : Phew! I'm glad that 'the wind-down' chapter was received so well. I was a little worried that it was still to intense.  
When I first started this story, I had no idea it was going to escalate into something to different! But I'm glad it did. I'm really enjoying writing it and from what I can see from my reviews – you guys are enjoying reading it. **

**Also, if any of you noticed, my last chapter was titled 'The Awakening' - the title of the first Series 3 episode. I thought it would be rather fitting, as Zuko was pretty much in the same circumstance. Back from the dead etc etc.  
So congratulations to culacula for spotting it! **

* * *

Katara had spent the morning washing herself in a small pool beside the much larger river.

The night before, she had given Zuko the specific warning that they most definitely would _not _be sharing body heat.  
It was a long, cold and lonely night. They had slept close, but not together.

_I'm not sharing body heat. I'm not!_

She had been defiant.

But as the uncomfortable, sleepless night continued, Katara began to wonder if Zuko had had as much trouble sleeping.  
She had felt awkward and vulnerable. It was freezing and empty inside the small cave.  
But in the morning, she had woken up feeling a lot warmer than she expected.  
There seemed to be a pressure on top of her, but she wasn't sure exactly why.

When she opened her eyes groggily, Katara almost had a heart attack!

Zuko seemed to have rolled over in the night and put his arm over her shoulder, hugging her into his chest. Worse still, Katara seemed to have curled herself into him, to fit the shape of his body!

_He smells like burnt Juniper.  
_  
Now wide awake and frozen in place, Katara had bitten her lip and sat for almost a full ten minutes, wondering what to do.

She was especially conscious of the fact that Zuko wasn't wearing a shirt.  
She'd had to remove it whilst she'd been healing him and it had been in tatters anyway.

His skin was softer than she'd expected.  
Sometimes, when he had been chasing them all over the world, she'd imagined him having an iron heart and liquid fire in his veins.  
But seeing him like this, he seemed gentler, more human.

_I used to be so scared of you.  
Were you always like this underneath? Just a normal person?_

Zuko was pleasantly warm.  
So warm, in fact, that Katara guessed they'd be able to sleep under the stars, at the mercy of the elements without need for a blanket.

_Why did I just think __**that**__?_

Hurriedly, Katara tried to push that particular thought away from her memory.

For quite some time, she lay there wondering, while Zuko snored gently, his breath blowing a strand of his hair away from his face and letting it fall back again.

_Should I wake him up? Or just...leave him?_

He looked so peaceful whilst he slept.  
All of the worries seemed to just disappear from his face as he lay there.  
It was as if sleep brought Zuko some resolve from the trial and tribulations of the real world.

_What do you dream about?  
Do you dream at all?  
_  
Even his scar seemed to be less threatening.  
Briefly, Katara felt the need to reach out and touch it.  
But she didn't.

Eventually, she made a decision and holding her breath, moved Zuko's arm from off of her shoulder and back onto the cold stone floor.  
He immediately woke with a start and sat bolt upright, his eyes still groggy from sleep.  
Katara cursed inwardly as she quickly tried to dart herself away from his body.  
They had been suspiciously close.

_Great! He sleeps as lightly as a soldier! Nice going, Katara!_

She blushed and turned away from him as she rose stiffly to her feet.

"Uhm, morning Zuko. Sorry I woke you."

He rubbed at his eyes to get away the sleep and ran a hand through his hair.

"It's okay. It's close to dawn now anyway. We should start planning what to do."

She'd nodded, blissfully happy that he wasn't aware he'd been hugging her in his sleep. Or that she'd been hugging him back.

For a moment, she was unsure what to do or say.

"Well, I'm going to go and..uh..I'm.."

Now Zuko blushed.

"Oh. Okay. Yeah."

As Katara had used her new geyser technique to descend from the waterfall, she'd found it incredibly hard not to slap herself on the forehead and curse.

She felt refreshed and clean.  
Katara hadn't felt so brilliantly cleansed in a long time.

She'd tried not to grimace as she'd washed Zuko's caked in blood from her fingernails and hair.

_It was for the greater good. It was necessary and it's over now.  
_  
Katara had been very careful about leaving the cave.  
She had positioned herself close enough to still be able to see the waterfall but still out of eye-range from anyone who might come into the clearing.

_Still no sign of the Sila Vatra. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?_

Her clothes were filthy!  
They were covered in dirt and sweat.

_Not to mention blood..._

Even after she'd washed and dried them using her bending, they still looked grubby and worn.

Katara didn't want to have to put them back on.  
But she also didn't want to have to travel back to the Air Temple with Zuko in her _underwear!  
_  
So, as she pulled her murky clothing back over her head, she tried not to feel as if she were just covering herself in dirt again.

_Maybe I'll find something else along the way._

When she returned to the cave, Katara found Zuko stretching himself.  
He winced every now and then, but she wasn't worried. It was expected.  
It was simply his muscles recovering from everything that had happened.  
The large bruises under his good eye and covering his upper body were also fading away quickly.

_You can't heal bruises. They'll just have to fade away by themselves._

Though she would never admit it, Katara was rather impressed.

Zuko had been mobile right after he had woken up.  
She didn't know many people who could heal so rapidly after such an ordeal.

And now he was already getting himself back into his old routine.

Katara slapped down two large fish onto a rock.  
She had heard Zuko's stomach rumbling throughout the night and she was pretty hungry herself.

She couldn't hunt game, but Katara was confident enough to catch fish using her Water Bending.  
Zuko stopped mid-stretch to stare longingly at the two fish.

She'd also brought another hefty supply of firewood with which to cook their meal. She'd collected everything they needed.  
Katara was rather proud of herself and was feeling very independent and smug.

"How are we going to gut the fish?"

Katara frowned.

_Why did he have to rain on my parade?_

"I guess we'll just have to do it by hand."

For a moment, Zuko looked as though he might be sick. Biting her lip, Katara tried not to laugh.

"Don't tell me you're squeamish? Prince Zuko of The Fire Nation, afraid of fish guts?"

Crossing his arms and scowling, Zuko immediately went on the defensive.  
But Katara noticed that he refused to look at the two dead fish.

"No, I'm not! I just don't know how to, that's all. I'm not exactly used to eating things with my bare hands!"

Katara wrinkled her nose.

"Well, you're just going to have to get used to it. I don't exactly see any markets around here offering to give away free food."

He seemed moody, but didn't offer a retort.  
She tried not to smile.

_Now it's me taking care of **him.**_

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the fish was slowly roasting over the crackling fire, speared on two sticks.

Zuko hadn't helped prepare the fish at all, no matter how much she'd teased him.  
He seemed to have a reservation about touching dead thing with his hands.

"You're supposed to prepare food with a knife, not your hands. This is disgusting!"

She had simply rolled her eyes sarcastically and carried on preparing the fish while Zuko sulked in a corner of the cave by himself.

Katara's mouth watered as she carefully turned the speared fish over the fire on her stick.  
But she knew not to touch it until she was certain it was thoroughly cooked.  
Growing up with a diet that consisted mainly of fish and blubber, Katara had learnt to realise when a fish was fit for consumption, or wether it was under-cooked and would just give you food poisoning.

And they couldn't afford that now.

Katara nodded to Zuko when she was certain that the fish was thoroughly cooked.  
He didn't waste any time.

Like a crazed animal, he stuffed the fish into his mouth greedily and then spat it back out into his hand, sticking out his tongue.  
Katara laughed.

"That's hot, you know."

Zuko grumbled and blew on the fish until it was cool enough to eat.

He took his time now, eating each individual bite as politely and neatly as if he were at a grand dinner in the palace of Ba Sing Se.  
Katara chewed her own fish, musing.

_Now what? Where do we even start?_

When they had finished their meals, they sat in silence for a moment. Zuko stared up at the ceiling, with his arms behind his back.  
Something about this annoyed Katara.

_He never looks at me. It's always the ceiling or the floor._

Zuko seemed to be chewing something inside his mouth.  
She stared at him for a few seconds, thinking how comfortable and contented he looked. She wasn't used to seeing him so...calm.

Zuko caught her staring at him. Katara tried not to flinch.

"I burnt my tongue." he said, pointing to his mouth.

"Oh." Feeling rude for not asking earlier, Katara bent away a small current of water from the larger waterfall and separated them once again into two blobs.  
The one consisting of dirt and germs went splashing onto the floor and the other cleaner stream into Zuko's waiting mouth.

_Not so picky about it now, huh?_

Once he had nodded in thanks, she drew out another glistening stream for herself and gulped it down.  
Katara couldn't quite remember ever appreciating water this much in her entire life!  
She felt renewed since she'd been able to bend again. Like she was finally herself.

"Zuko. I think we should probably begin travelling tonight. We'll have cover in the darkness and less chance of being caught."

Zuko had leant his back up against the cave wall, well away from the fire. He still didn't look at her.

"We'll have cover, but we won't know where we're going either. Neither of us know where we are or what to expect outside. Hopefully, if the Sila Vatra are still trying to find us, they'll think we've headed further out into the woods and follow suit, which should buy us some more time. Plus, it's pantherstag mating season, so it would be more dangerous to travel in the woods at night."

Katara huffed.

_At least I thought it was a good idea..._

"Well, maybe we should head off at dawn instead? It'll still be pretty dark, but we'll have the benefit of light once the sun rises. And we'll travel further with the head start."

Zuko nodded. He seemed happy with this answer.

"Before we leave, I want you to take me down from here whilst it's still dark."

Inside the back of her mind, Katara got a secret thrill from realising that she was the only one who could get Zuko down from the cave.  
If he jumped out, he'd plummet straight to his death.  
She was the only one who could give him his freedom.

"What for?"

Zuko rolled his eyes at her, as if she'd asked him something incredibly stupid.  
Katara frowned at him, displeasingly.

"I need to get a look at the stars before dawn, so I know which direction we should take."

She raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't now you could do that. When did you learn to navigate by stars?"

He shrugged his shoulders, leaning back into the cool embrace of the damp cave wall. Katara could see steam rising from behind his back.

"When you spend three years on a ship, you have to do something to keep yourself busy. It got pretty boring sometimes. My Uncle's Pai Sho games almost drove me crazy."

Katara giggled.  
She had liked her first impression of the old man.  
Though he had been dressed in typical Fire Nation attire and was known as a fierce, dragon slaying general, she had found him to be perfectly pleasant.  
He had seemed very calm and friendly for an ex-general.  
Although he was the face of the enemy, Katara had never felt threatened by the kindly old man – even when he was by Zuko's side as he chased them around the world.

"_And_ you play Pai Sho? There's more than meets the eye to you, isn't there?"

When he didn't answer, Katara felt she should say something to fill the silence.  
It wasn't even approaching midday yet and they had a long time to wait until dawn the next day.

"You know, when we visited a Fire Nation town, Sokka trained with a sword master called Piando."  
Zuko raised an eyebrow. He had obviously heard of the famous swordsman.  
"And after we left, he gave us a Pai Sho tile. He said it might help us somehow, but I have no idea how it would. I think it was the...uh, the White Lotus?"

For a moment, Katara wondered if she'd said something offensive.  
Zuko didn't reply or even look at her. He just seemed as if something had struck him in the face.  
An idea? An epiphany?

"What's wrong, Zuko?"

Quickly, Zuko seemed to snap out of his trance. He just waved a hand, as if it had been nothing.

"Don't worry. It's nothing important."

_Is he keeping something from me? What's he thinking?_

She tried to shrug it off, but kept cautious.  
Perhaps it _wasn't_ anything important and she was just being paranoid. Or was he thinking of something that he wasn't telling her?

The silence dragged on.

To Katara, it seemed as if the relationship (or non-relationship) she shared with Zuko was always based on hardship, pain and incredibly long silences.  
But Zuko didn't seem to be effected.  
The same familiar, thoughtful look returned to his face and he contented himself with the quiet.

_How does he manage to just sit there and do nothing?  
What does he even think about when he does?  
I wonder if he even thinks about anything at all..._

**

* * *

**

After what seemed the longest day of her life, Katara was eternally thankful when the sun began to ebb into the sky to make way for night.  
Finally, she would have something to do!

She couldn't bare to just sit in silence for hours on end with Zuko, who seemed perfectly happy to meditate or simply lie down and throw and catch a rock.

The entire time, she had tried to keep herself as cool and collected as Zuko seemed to be.  
Several times, she had tried to start another conversation with him, only to be ignored or receive single grunts and monosyllabic answers.

Feeling incredibly tempted to push him from the edge of the cave mouth, Katara had tried to content herself with unimportant thoughts and mindless questions.  
Sometimes, Zuko would creep into her mind.

When he did, she quickly tried to think of something else.

_What was he like when he was a kid?  
Did he laugh and play like the other children, or was he always so serious?  
What had he looked like before his father burned him?  
Does he miss his home? His family?_

Katara almost laughed at the thought.

_Yeah. I'm really sure that he misses the sister who constantly tries to kill him and the father who burned away half of his face and banished him for three years!_

Most of the time though, she spent thinking about everyone she'd left behind.  
Her brother, her father, Toph and Aang and Suki.  
Even Momo and Appa!

She missed them all terribly.

_Are they worried?  
Has Aang been keeping up with his training?  
Have they been searching for us?  
Who's feeding them all?  
_  
Katara couldn't remember the last time she had been away from any of them this long.

_Except dad.. S_he thought a little sadly. _We only just got him back and now I'm the one who's not around anymore._

The long day and heavy silences had brought up several things she hadn't wanted to think about.

"Are you sure you're strong enough for this?" she asked him for the hundredth time before they made the descent from the waterfall.

Zuko sighed and replied with the same exact answer, but with a look that suggested he didn't like having to do so.

"Yes Katara. I feel okay, really. You managed to get me up here fine when I was pretty much dead, so I think I'll be able to cope with this. Now stop worrying and let's go down."

She didn't appreciate the tone in his voice. She was just looking out for him.

_Why am I so worried about him all the time? I know he can take care of himself._

Timidly, she flexed her hands and parted the great waterfall in two.  
Holding one hand steady, she called up the geyser that would take them back down to ground level.  
Zuko looked very uncertain, though Katara knew he was trying to hide it.

"It's a big drop."

She could see his point.

The descent from their small cave must have been nearly eighty feet or more.  
And standing on a bubbling stream of water _probably_ didn't look like the most stable elevator.  
And doing it in the darkness made it all the more terrifying.

_Water **is** fire's opposite after all..._

But eventually Zuko jumped onto the top of the geyser, landing steadily and sure footed.  
He crossed his arms defensively and looked down at the large drop.

Katara jumped beside him onto the supporting jet of water, closing the curtained waterfall behind her and began to lower them both down.

When they reached dry land, Zuko looked as if he'd never been happier!

He looked skywards and breathed in mouthfuls of the forest air.  
Cautiously, Katara stood beside him, aware that they could still be attacked when they were caught off guard.

For a few minutes, Zuko said nothing.  
Occasionally, she could hear him mumbling to himself and pointing upwards and certain stars. Katara found she couldn't distinguish any one from the other.

But they were beautiful none the less.  
An abundant tapestry of stars, woven together in the most incredible, luminous web of lights.

Forgetting her worries, Katara found herself getting lost in the stars and leaning in toward Zuko, as if she needed someone to help balance her.  
Every time she found one star, an entirely new cluster appeared right next to them!  
It was as if they and they alone were at the very centre of the universe.

Her eyes seemed to be trying to take it all in at once.

_Everything down here seems so much smaller when I look up there._

Katara noticed that Zuko was looking down at her.  
His golden eyes shone in the moonlight like stars on their own. She felt very small next to him.

Absentmindedly, Katara's palm rested on his forearm as she strained her neck back even further to get a better look. The warmth from his skin warmed her slowly chilling fingers.  
Mesmerized, she kept her eyes up.

"They're so beautiful." she whispered to herself.

Zuko's voice was quiet. His own eyes were cast skywards.

"Yeah. They are."

For a while, they stood close to each other, looking up at the vast blanket of shining lights.  
A gentle breeze flew past, whipping her hair behind her back so it tickled her skin.  
Katara smiled.

"Katara?"

Katara blushed and looked down.  
She realised her hand was still on his arm and quickly moved it away. The warmth from his skin seemed to blow away from hers with the wind.  
She suddenly felt very childish next to him.

Zuko pointed upwards.

"There. That's West. And that's where we need to go."

* * *

**Authors Notes : Ah, love is in the air. I liked writing this one. It was very relaxing. Sorry I've been taking a little longer than usual to update, guys. I've been a bit busy lately.**


	15. The Journey Home

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters, Burning Rock part one and two and The Puppet Master.**

**Authors Note : **

**More Q and A**

**How old are you?**

**You know, I've been asked this so many times, that I've just gone ahead and written it down on my profile page. I'm not sure why everybody keeps asking me. P  
But if you must know, I'm 17.**

**What's happened to The Warden and the Sila Vatra? They'll be making a comeback, right?**

**Ah, I wouldn't leave them out of this now, would I? )  
I'm not going to let anything else slip, but let's just say that we'll be seeing them again sooner or later.**

**Is Zuko ever going to get his knife back? That's the one Iroh gave him.**

**Again, this is tied in with the above question.  
Expect to see another appearance from the bad guys soon.**

Last chapter, you said you hadn't posted because you were recording. Recording what?

**Oh hell. is embarrassed  
Well, I play the Double Bass and my family are making a Celtic Folk CD to sell for charity. It's really kind of dorky, but it's for a good cause.**

* * *

They had headed out just before dawn.  
Zuko had woken up before Katara with the gentle rise of the sun.  
He had been a little confused the night before when Katara had spent the night sleeping at the opposite end of the cave, far away from him and the fire.

Gently, Zuko placed a hand on Katara's shoulder.  
Her hair had fallen over her face whilst she slept and he carefully moved it aside before she awoke.  
Katara blinked heavily, looking at him through confused, half-closed eyes.

"Come on. Dawn is peaking. It's time to go."

She had grunted, rubbing at her face with her hands.

"Why do Fire Benders have to rise with the sun? Why can't they just sleep in?"

Zuko tried hard not to smile. Reaching a hand down to her, he pulled her up onto her feet.

"Because if I did, I wouldn't be able to be your own personal alarm clock."

Katara looked at him stupidly, looking utterly exhausted. She wiped down the front and back of her clothing and stretched. She looked around the empty cave.

"Packed already, are we? Wow Zuko, you work fast."

She laughed.  
It sounded rich and happy and sent something that felt like a sticky honeycomb straight down his throat. He wasn't quite sure why.

"I guess we should head out then."

She nodded and waved her hands, parting the almighty swell of cascading water into a curtain. As Zuko stepped uncertainly onto the slippery platform of the geyser, he tried not to let any worry show on his face.

_I hate water._

They parted at the base of the river for five minutes to take care of their morning rituals.  
Zuko had tried to pat down his hair. It was sticking up wildly at the back and refused to budge.  
He blew an annoyed puff of air through his nostrils.

_Why do I even care?_

Katara seemed to have woken up a bit more when they met back at the base of the waterfall.

Zuko searched the area for the landmark he had remembered as directly west.  
When he spotted the large, oval-shaped boulder, he and Katara left the clearing, not looking back once on the glorious sparkling falls that had been their shelter for the past few days.

The underbrush was thicker than he had expected. Zuko reached behind his back to grab his swords, but found that they weren't there.

_The Warden took them, remember? You'll just have to fend for yourself._

"This might take us a little longer than we'd first hoped." he said, turning to Katara. She sighed, pushing him to the side and stepping in front of him.

"Out of the way, Sparky. I'll get us through a lot quicker."

Zuko tried not to say something nasty as she pulled water from the trunk of an old tree and slashed away at the shrubs and vines blocking their path.  
Instead, he contented himself with scowling at the back of her head.

Progress was slow, even with Katara clearing away any unnecessary obstructions.  
Occasionally, Zuko would point her in the right direction if she veered off course a little and then go back to trudging along behind, feeling a fool.

_It's supposed to be the other way around._

By midday, Zuko guessed that they had only travelled half the amount of miles he had hoped.

Katara sighed and sat down on a nearby rock, massaging her feet.  
He crossed his arms and looked at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. I just guessed that having travelled all over the world, you'd have a bit more endurance."

Katara looked at him dryly.

"How much walking do you think we actually did when we had a _flying bison_, Zuko?"

He could see her point.  
He shrugged and sat down behind her.

It was getting incredibly hot.  
They were in the midst of the Fire Nation's Summer months and so it was rightly named! The humidity made him sticky with sweat and Katara's hair frizz out wildly.  
Zuko looked at her comically and tried not to laugh.  
When she caught him looking at her, she grabbed at it self-consciously and blushed.  
Zuko couldn't help but smirk.

"You look like a koalasheep that's just been electrocuted."

Turning an even fiercer red, Katara frowned and pointed at him.

"You're one to talk. You look like you have a horn coming from the back of your head!"

Zuko looked away and tried to pat down the back of his hair. They were both turned away from each other, blushing and feeling self-conscious.

"Hey Katara, I've been thinking."

She looked at him, cautiously tucking some loose strands of hair protectively behind her ears.

"Thinking about what?"

"I've been working out dates. Judging by both our experiences in that prison, I guessed we were there just over a week. At the waterfall, you were there a further three days before I even woke up, and then another two. So, it's been almost three weeks."

Katara drooped her head and put her hands in her lap.

"It's a long time..."

Zuko leant back, stretching out the kinks in his back and flexing out his still sore muscles.

"It is, but that's not my point."

She looked at him blankly.  
For some reason, Zuko found it incredibly hard to meet her gaze when she stared at him like that. It was a little unnerving.

"My point is, that we're running out of time to return for Sozin's Comet."

He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to rid himself of the itchy, cold sweat that was forming around his body. He considered taking off his shirt before realizing that he wasn't wearing a shirt anyway.  
Katara leant her elbows on her legs and hung her head in her hands.  
She rubbed at her face, also trying to rid herself of humid sweat.

"I can't believe I'd forgotten about the comet. Aang still has to master Fire Bending, and without his only teacher, that's going to be near impossible."

Zuko nodded.  
Secretly, he felt a wave of pride sweep over him whenever he was referred to as Aang's 'teacher'. He was doing something good. He was teaching the Avatar.

"Sozin's Comet hits sooner than we'd thought. With all of the time that we've missed, I'd say we have just less than two weeks to get back to the Western Air Temple to plan the attack."

Katara sighed.

"And we have no idea how long this is going to take us or just how far we are from the temple. This is hopeless!"

Letting some loose air out from between his lips, Zuko couldn't help but agree. It did seem pretty hopeless.  
There was no way the Sila Vatra would have imprisoned them near the area where they'd actually been caught. The only way they hadn't been able to find Aang so far was because they'd walked so far out into the woods in the first place.

_Guess she owes me an apology._

Zuko rose to his feet, swiping at his arms and shoulders to rid himself of the sweat slipping down his chest.

"I guess we should just keep going."

Katara stood beside him and nodded.

"Yeah. We should be moving on."

Zuko caught her looking at his chest and frowning. He had an overwhelming urge to say '_What?!' _in the same angry tone he had used against her months ago.  
Twisting her hands, Katara pulled the beads of sweat away from his body and formed it into a small ball.

"There. Isn't that easier?"

Zuko realized that his expression was fixed into repulsed horror and embarrassment and he quickly tried to relax the muscles in his face.  
He didn't reply.  
Heading back onto their path, he grumbled to himself moodily as Katara hacked away more branches away with the liquid ball of his sweat.

"That's disgusting..."

* * *

More heat. More tree's. Less food.  
Zuko wasn't sure he could keep walking much longer without something to eat.  
His stomach rumbled noisily every so often and he clutched at it, trying to quell its complaints.

It was approaching evening.  
They had made good progress, but not as much as he had hoped.

After they had covered a fair distance, they found a suitable place to stop. It wasn't much, but it appeared to be sheltered and fairly secluded.  
The small clearing was just about large enough to house both of them and a small campfire. But of course, they couldn't _have _a campfire, for fear of being spotted by the Sila Vatra.

_If they're even still looking. Maybe they found Aang already..._

Zuko tried to brush away his nagging thoughts as Katara collapsed right onto the downy grass and spread her limbs.

"Ugh! My feet!"

Zuko didn't look at her. She'd get used to it sooner or later.  
Crossing over to the clearing, he began searching through the branches and tree's for something suitable. Katara sat up.

"Uh, Zuko. What are you doing?"

"Looking." he replied, not even bothering to look up from his search.

"Yeah, I guessed that. But looking for _what_ exactly?"

"A suitable weapon."

With that, he pulled a sturdy looking branch from a tree.  
Spinning it slowly in his hands, he tested its weight and dexterity for any flaws in case it should break.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Zuko, but that's a stick." Katara's voice was dry and humourless. She sounded grouchy.

Zuko had to grit his teeth together to stop himself snapping back at her. He'd still been trying to control his anger, after what she'd said to him whilst with the Sila Vatra.  
He was finding it a lot harder than he'd first thought.

_We're just hot and cranky. When we have some food and water, we'll be fine._

"Sure, it's a stick now. But it won't be for long."

Sitting cross-legged on the grass, Zuko held the end of the stick in his hand. He sensed that Katara had moved closer to him to see exactly what he was doing.  
He pointed a single finger on his free hand and concentrated. A jet of blue flame erupted from the fingertip.  
Katara jumped back a little as the tiny flame sat like a long, blue extension on his finger.

"Be careful." he warned her "If a flame is blue, it's far hotter and more concentrated than a normal one. That's why Azula's fire was always blue."

Secretly, Zuko hated to admit that his sister was better than he was, but knew that it was necessary to warn Katara of exactly how dangerous it was.  
In the back of his mind, he vaguely remembered The North Pole.

_My father said Azula was born lucky. He said I was lucky to be born._

As carefully as he could, Zuko slid the concentrated flame over the edge of the sticks end. It peeled away as if he had cut it with a knife, the wood underneath singed and black. He made certain that no embers of sparks touched the ground. With as much care and attention as he could muster, Zuko rotated the stick in his hand, taking away layer after layer with the blue rod of flame.  
Eventually, the end of the blunt stick had been formed into an expertly sharpened point.

Katara had watched him throughout the process, fascinated.  
Zuko had worried that he'd glance at her at the wrong moment and set the entire forest on fire.

"That's amazing, Zuko. I had no idea you were so...precise."

"It's not much. I can't make concentrated flame in large quantities like Azula can. Only in smaller ones like this. Any normal fire would have just caught the wood and set it on fire. But blue fire is so intensely hot it just..." he wasn't sure how to explain it "...doesn't burn."

Rising to his feet, Zuko lifted his now sharpened spear into his hand and did a few practice lunges. The weight was just right, it was aerodynamic and he could see no outer weaknesses in the grain of the wood.

_Perfect._

He walked to the edge of the tree's with his spear over his shoulder.

"I'll be back soon."

"Wait!"

Zuko turned around to look at Katara.

_Why did her voice sound like that? _

She was sitting with her hands in her lap and looking in every direction but his. She brushed a strand of hair from her eyes.

"Just...don't go too far, Zuko." she looked at the floor "You know. In case the Sila Vatra come back."

Zuko nodded and turned to go.

_Sure. The Sila Vatra..._

* * *

The intense heat of the day was finally giving way to the cooler hum of night.

Zuko batted irritably at the flies buzzing around his head.  
Fire Nation summers were always the worst for bugs.

Zuko had brought back a small anterabbit back from his hunt.  
Although it was only a young calf, it had still taken him all his strength to lift and drag it back to the camp.

This time, he had helped Katara to gut the animal and remove the strips of meat from the fur.  
Zuko had been hunting and killed animals before. But he had never actually _butchered _the carcasses himself. He expected blood – that was normal. But he found the other animal innards to be completely gruesome.

He had felt physically sick throughout the entire process, especially after having to remove all of the unwanted organs inside.

He had stuck his tongue out and made a retching noise. But Katara had just looked at him humorously. She had probably done this a million time before and Zuko loathed her for her smugness.

"Almost everything you eat has had those at some point, Zuko."

Zuko had had to physically stop himself from vomiting all over her.  
He tried not to think about all the meals and meat's he'd eaten that had come from animals and what might have been inside them at some point.

When they had sorted out the edible meats, Katara had washed the blood from their hands with water taken from the humid air and given them some clean water to drink. Zuko felt relieved and refreshed.  
But not for long.  
They hadn't been able to light a fire, in case they were spotted. So Zuko had had to hold their raw meals in his hands and slowly cook them in each palm using his Fire Bending.

_This is stupid. I feel ridiculous!_

He had seen Katara grinning at him, even through the darkness of the forest.

_Why does she keep smiling like that?_

Once they had eaten and drank, Zuko lay back onto the soft, plush grass and sighed.  
It was a contented, happy sigh.  
He was just glad to be able to eat and rest.  
Nothing in the world could have made him feel more comfortable at that moment.

"Zuko?" Katara's voice came as a whisper in the darkness.

"Yeah?"

"Can I...can I, uh...lie next to you? You're pretty warm and I think it might be cold tonight."

Zuko tried not to laugh at the tone in her voice. It sounded as if she would rather have jumped into a volcano!  
But he didn't laugh.  
He realized how hard it must have been for her to ask.

"Uh, sure Katara."

He heard the grass ruffling as she walked toward him. Her feet crunched the grasses and leaves underfoot noisily.  
For such a delicate girl, she sure did make a lot of noise.

_She'd make a terrible ninja._

Awkwardly, Zuko felt her lower herself next to him on the grass. There was barely a foot between them both.  
He stiffened up, but tried not to make it so obvious.  
She seemed to be doing the same.

"This doesn't mean anything." she said to him through the darkness huffily. Zuko had a feeling that she was crossing her arms or pouting.

"Not a thing."

They lay on the grass, side by side in silence, staring up at the dark canopy of tree tops. Zuko tried to distinguish all the different sounds he could hear.  
He desperately hoped that they wouldn't run into any territorial pantherstag's.

"I hate the dark."

Katara's voice sounded meek and feeble. Zuko was surprised that she had admitted it so freely. He would never willingly admit a weakness or fear to anyone.

"Just like in the Cave of Two Lovers."

Zuko's good eyebrow raised and he pulled a face. But then he realized that Katara couldn't possibly see him through the dark. So he asked her instead.

"The cave of two lovers? Do I even want to know?"

Katara shifted her weight sideways. Subtly, Zuko could tell that she had rolled over to look at him in the dark.  
He remained on his back.

"Before we arrived at Omashu, we had to take a detour through a cave with some travelling minstrels. But there was a cave-in and we got trapped inside. We were separated from each other and our torches were about to go out. But then when the torches finally blew out, thousands of crystals in the roof of the cave lit up and showed us the way out."

This was one story Zuko couldn't pass up hearing.

"You travelled with a group of minstrels?"

"Only for a little while. They seemed like really...upbeat people. They told us that the only way to find your way through the cave was to trust in love."

Zuko turned his head to face her in the darkness. He could just about make out her blue eyes. They were looking directly back into his.

"So, you travelled through an unstable cave instead of flying over on Appa with a group of travelling minstrels who told you to trust in love? Seem's pretty...stupid."

Zuko was sure he could hear Katara's teeth grinding together.  
When she replied, she sounded hurt that he had mocked her story.

"We _would _have flown over if we weren't having fire bombs thrown at us by Fire Nation war machines. And it wasn't stupid. It was '_necessary'._"

Zuko growled in the back of his throat.

_Great. Now she's mocking me._

They sat in silence for a while, looking up into darkness and listening carefully for forest noises.

"You have changed, haven't you, Zuko? I know you have."

Momentarily, Zuko was stunned into silence.  
He hadn't expected to hear anything else from Katara for the rest of the night, much less _that._

"Yeah. I guess I have."

He propped an arm under his head as a pillow. The grass was beginning to stick to his bare skin and it was making him itch.  
He missed his shirt.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zuko could just about see the pair of intense blue eyes staring at him.

"Good night, Zuko."

As the blue eyes began to close and disappear from sight into the darkness, Zuko could swear he felt Katara inch a little closer to him.

"Good night, Katara."

* * *

**Author's Notes : Aw, more warm fuzzies. I hope that everybody is still enjoying the story. I know it's wound down a little since the escape, but that's to be expected.  
Don't worry, there's going to be plenty more action along the way.  
You didn't think that they'd travel back to the Western Air Temple without any problems, did you? P**

**Ah, I'm just mean to my characters...**


	16. Encountering Old Enemies

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters, Burning Rock part one and two and The Puppet Master.**

**Authors Note : Just thought that I'd try and post in another chapter really quickly, as you won't see much of me until Sunday night now. I'm off to a rave tonight and I spend Sunday's with my dad.  
So, I'm sorry if this chapters may seem a little rushed.**

* * *

Katara's face twitched. She could feel something on her cheek.

She had been right. The night before was chilly. A cold, raspy wind had slipped between and around the tree's, leaving them pretty exposed in their small clearing. Before she slept, Katara had edged closer to Zuko's intensely warm body, making sure that he didn't notice. It was like he was a fire all by himself.

Opening her groggy eyes, she could see that Zuko was already awake.

_It must be dawn._

He was lying on his back beside her with his arms behind his head, looking up at tiny rays of light filtering through the canopy of leaves above.  
Katara blushed when she realized that she had thrown her arm over his chest in her sleep and tucked her head in between his shoulder and neck.

"I didn't want to wake you." he said, not looking at her "You looked so...comfortable."

She blushed even harder and pulled away from him, into a sitting position.  
Something trickled down her face.  
Wiping at it, Katara noticed that she was covered in morning dew. It also covered Zuko.

He remained on his back, not even bothering to wipe away the little blobs of dew covering his chest and face.

_He must be freezing. What if he gets sick?_

"You were really warm. And it was a cold night."

She didn't look at him, nor he her.  
Katara pulled at her hair, trying to tame the wild, bushy strands into something more manageable.

"It's my inner fire." Zuko replied, finally sitting up "It's keeps me pretty warm."

Katara blinked. He'd mentioned his 'inner fire' before.

"So, does it...does it hurt?"

Zuko raised an eyebrow at her. She felt like she had asked an incredibly stupid question.

"No. It's just warm. It's my inner fire that allows me to bend and manipulate flame. But if I got too careless and lost control of my bending, _then_ it could kill me."

Now it was Katara's turn to raise an eyebrow. She hadn't even thought of what could happen to a Fire Bender if they lost control of their bending.

_It's even more dangerous than I thought._

If she ever lost control, her water would simply flop onto the floor. But if a _Fire Bender _lost control, who knows what kind of damage they could do to themselves or anyone else?

"It can really kill you?"

Zuko nodded.

"It's one of the first things they teach young benders who have just come into their abilities. Control. Without control, fire can be dangerous."

Katara laughed through her nose. Zuko looked at her strangely.

"I'm sorry, Zuko." she said from between her fingers, as she tried to hold back her laughter "But you aren't exactly the best person to be talking about control. I'm pretty familiar with your temper by now."

He didn't look happy.

"That was then, this is now. I'm getting better."

"Yes, you're right. But you have to admit, when you were chasing us, you weren't exactly as precise and careful as you are now. It was all 'Burn this, burn that' and 'I must find the Avatar, let's torch that village'."

Whilst Katara had thought she had simply made a funny interpretation of him, Zuko looked as if the frown on his face threatened to snap him in two. Katara instantly felt guilty. Maybe that had been a little harsh.

_After all, he's a better person now._

"I'm not defined by my element."

Katara crossed her arms and thought about all of the different characteristics of individual benders.

"Well, technically that's not true, Zuko."

She could hear him grinding his teeth.

"_Is it?_"

Katara swallowed, aware of how much self-control he must have been exerting.

"Well, think of it this way. Earth is a rigid, strong element. And look at Toph – she's hard-headed and stubborn. Air Bender's are carefree and adventurous, and so is Aang. Water is a calm, relaxed element and I've always considered myself to be a pretty peaceful person."

Zuko bit his lip. Katara could see the corners of his mouth edging upwards.  
His anger seemed to have been replaced by something else. Katara could tell he was trying not to laugh.

"What? I'm peaceful!"

Zuko hugged his knee's, desperately holding back the laughter. Katara could feel her cheeks flush.

"I am!"

Finally, he couldn't hold it in any longer. He burst out laughing and fell back onto the grass, clutching at his forehead as he laughed.  
Between laughter, he held his hand out and tried to talk.

"Yeah. Sounds really peaceful to me. Not aggressive at all!"

Katara's cheeks flushed. She could feel herself tensing.

_Well, now you know what his laugh sounds like._

Frowning, Katara held her breath and tried to reply as peacefully as possible.

"I'm not aggressive. I don't like violence."

When Zuko continued to just sit and laugh, she stood up to leave.  
As she passed him, she smacked him over the back of the head.

* * *

They had headed out through the tree's due West in silence.  
Katara was fuming and Zuko seemed to be in much of the same mood.

_This is so unfair._

Slashing away at the undergrowth with a water whip made by the humid summer air, Katara began to wonder exactly what she was in for.

She was travelling alone, with no blankets, food or shelter with a boy who'd once been her mortal enemy and who wasn't wearing a shirt!

_Why did I have to throw it away? Even barely **any** shirt is better than **no** shirt._

Katara tried very hard not to blush thinking about it.

She'd seen him shirtless before, when he and Aang had been practicing their bending at the Western Air Temple. It had never bothered her before. But now, she was far more conscious of it than she had been.

_Perhaps it's because I'm was travelling with him?  
Because he saved me from imprisonment and torture?  
Because I still feel guilty about having to use his blood to escape?  
Or because I'm lost in the woods with him?_

Katara wasn't sure either way.

Irritably bending sweat away from her eyes, Katara trudged through the empty forest, swerving in and out of tree's to continue West.  
She found that no matter how fast she walked, Zuko was always one step behind her.

Vaguely, Katara wondered if she'd be able to out-run him.

She doubted it.

_Why does he always have to stick so close? It's not like I don't spend every other waking minute with him!_

Huffing and puffing as she sliced away some intrusive vines blocking her path, Katara tried to concentrate on what awaited them both when they returned to the Western Air Temple.

_If they're even still there..._

Katara pictured her father and brother running towards her and embracing her. Everyone would crowd around them and light a huge fire and feed them mouth-watering Water Tribe food, especially for her.  
They'd fuss over her, and she'd shoo them away, just happy to be back with her family.

_Family..._

Katara thought of something she hadn't quite considered before. She'd always referred to their little group as a single unit, a family.

_Is Zuko my family now? Does he even want to be?_

Clambering over a mound of dirt, Katara tried not to think about how much she _did _want Zuko to be part of their big, bending family.

"Katara?"

She stopped. In her hurry, she'd almost forgotten about Zuko, walking along behind her. Turning, Katara's irritated look softened and then turned into worry when she saw Zuko's face. He seemed completely rigid. His face showing no emotion, as if he was straining to hear something.

_The same face I used to picture all those months ago..._

"What is it, Zuko?" she asked him quietly, growing a little afraid.

Without moving at all, his golden eyes turned to look into hers.  
Katara tried not to turn away from him.  
His voice was a gruff whisper. She had trouble hearing him.

"Someone's following us."

Katara felt her eyes widen and her mouth open a little.

"The Sila Vatra?"

Zuko held his palm out, as if he was hushing her. Katara felt a twinge of annoyance, but hid it.

"Only one. I've had a feeling we were being followed for almost an hour now."

Katara bit her lip. Zuko looked as calm and ready as he always did, even without his ability to bend.

"Get ready."

Katara's heart seemed to stop in her chest. They were right back to where they started.  
If the Sila Vatra _were_ following them, they'd probably try to take her out first, as she was the only one who could bend inside the closely-knit forest.

_What about him? How's Zuko going to fight back against an enemy he can't even see?  
_  
As silently as she could, Katara took a large quantity of water from the humid, damp air and formed it protectively around her front.

They waited.

Zuko stood in an attack position, completely rigid and ready. His ears perked and he turned to her.

"Katara!"

Katara didn't have time to react before she felt Zuko's weight come hurtling on top of her, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her to the side.  
She heard a hissing noise and saw a dart imbedded into the tree trunk where she had been standing moments before.

_Not this time!_

Focusing on the direction it had come from, Katara sent her water whip hurtling through the tree's at the unseen enemy.  
She heard the crack of her water connect with something. It definitely hadn't been a tree.

They heard a dull thud somewhere in the forest, like something falling to the ground.

Katara could hear herself panting, but she didn't know why.

_How does he move so fast?  
_  
Zuko's arm was still clutched protectively around Katara's waist as he stood behind her, his chest pressing into her back.  
The speed he'd moved with was almost scary!  
Katara felt his warm skin on her own and suddenly wished she'd picked a less revealing Fire Nation disguise.

"Uhm, Zuko. You can let go now."

Slowly, Zuko let go of her waist.  
Katara was almost certain that if she looked down to her stomach, she'd be able to see a warm red patch where had hand had rested.  
Though she felt awkward when they touched, Katara couldn't help but miss the warmth of his inner fire when it was gone.

"I think you got him." Zuko said to her. Katara was very aware of how close his mouth was to her ear "Nice shot."

She moved away from him, still tingling. She could feel his breath on her ear.

There was something about the way he had spoken. Something she couldn't quite understand.  
But it had still sent her spine rigid and her stomach light with butterflies.

Katara tried to compose herself.

"I wouldn't have if it weren't for you. Thanks Zuko. I really owe you one."

He nodded. His face still showed no emotion.

"It's more than one by now, but we can keep count later. Right now, we need to go and find whoever it was you just hit."

Katara felt a little nervous, but nodded back.  
Cautiously, they headed back the way they had come in the direction the dart had flown. Katara kept another water whip passing between both hands, just in case.  
They had searched for barely five minutes when Zuko spotted him. It was definitely one of the Sila Vatra.  
Draped in black and with the reed pipe dropped at his feet, he was slumped over against a tree, surrounded by a puddle of water.

"Looks like you knocked him out."

_Good._

Zuko knelt down beside the unconscious man, whilst Katara circled with her water whip. She wasn't quite ready to relax yet.  
In one swift motion, Zuko pulled the hood from over the figures face. It was nobody Katara recognised, but Zuko frowned as if they had met before. He sighed heavily and rubbed at his temples irritably.

"Great. Is there _anyone _in the Fire Nation who isn't part of this?"

* * *

Katara raised an eyebrow. She wasn't quite sure what to say.

"Zuko, do you...do you _know _this guy?"

"We've met."

Though he was the enemy and Katara hated what he stood for, she couldn't help but admit that the Sila Vatra boy was handsome.  
She could just imagine what he was like simply by looking at him.

Rich, spoilt, got all the girls and had everything done for him.

_Probably why hitting him had been so easy._

"Where did you meet him? When? _Why?_"

"His name's Chan. I trashed his beach house once. It's a long story."

Katara frowned huffily.

_Is he planning on telling me **anything**?_

"Well, what are we supposed to do with him?"

Zuko shrugged his shoulders without looking at her. Katara really wished that for once he would just look at her.

"I don't know. He's a non-bender, so if we take his darts away, I don't think he'll be much of a problem." He stood up and crossed his arms "We can't just leave him here to track us again. He could be leading the Sila Vatra straight to us and we'd be leading them..."

"...straight to Aang." Katara realized, rubbing her forehead with her palm and letting her water whip dissipate.

Hauling Chan's arm over his shoulder, Zuko lifted the other boy up onto his feet without much effort. Chan's head lolled forward like a limp puppet.

"I think we should keep him with us for a while just so we can get some answers."

Katara crossed her arms. She didn't like it, but what choice did they have?  
If they left him there, he'd wake up and just begin following them again.

_And next time we might not be so lucky._

"Okay. But maybe we should take the darts with us. Since you can't bend in here, maybe they could come in handy later on?"

Zuko nodded and began to walk away with Chan's body dragging along behind.

"Good thinking. We need to find a clearing for the night. Then we can get some answers."

Katara bit her lip as she watched Zuko stumble away under the weight of Chan's body. She bent down to pick up the darts and the reed pipe.  
She felt a little nervous, but wasn't quite sure why.

_Soon, Katara. Soon you'll be out of here._

* * *

**Author's Note : Bet you guys weren't exp****ectin****g Chan to be a member, huh? Remember him from The Beach? He was the one who snogged Azula and then wished he hadn't. P  
Don't blame him really...**

It may not make much sense now, but hopefully, everything will be explained in the next chapter. Anyway, I really should be getting ready for my party now.  
So toodles. Enjoy!


	17. Tears and Regrets

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters, Burning Rock part one and two and The Puppet Master.**

**Authors Note : Sorry this took a little longer than usual to make it to the site. I got back from the party this morning with the largest hangover in history. Then I spent the day with my dad (we went to go see Narnia – Prince Caspian, which was awesome! Caspian is gorgeous!)  
So, I must apologise if this chapter took a little longer to submit.**

**Don't worry though. After last night, I think I'm going to go on an alcohol hiatus for a while. P**

* * *

Zuko's back hurt.  
Chan had become far too heavy to carry by simply supporting him on his shoulder, so he'd had to carry him over his back. His head slapped against Zuko's back with each stride like a rag doll. Zuko felt gleeful that he might be able to tell him about it later.

_Stuck-up jerk. Even when you're unconscious, you manage to annoy me.  
_  
Katara jogged along beside him to catch up, clutching several of the little brown darts and the reed pipe in her hand.  
She looked worried.

"Zuko, you've got to tell me where you met this guy."

Not now.

"It can wait until later."

"No Zuko, it can't. I don't want you keeping secrets from me. I need to know."

Zuko sighed, hoisting Chan back up over his shoulder.  
The idiot wasn't heavy, but after lugging him through the forest for almost half an hour, Zuko was beginning to feel himself wearing down.

"It's not important. Right now, we just need to find somewhere to camp before he wakes up."

Quickly, Katara sidestepped in front of him, crossing her arms and glaring at him intensely.

"Zuko, stop it!"

Zuko stopped short in front of her, a little surprised by her anger.

_What's the problem? It's not even important!_

"Stop what?" he asked her dryly. He was tired, hungry and cold. He didn't want to have to explain the entire encounter right now.

Katara's, voice was stern and angry. She was looking at him accusingly, as if she'd caught him doing something he shouldn't be doing.  
Zuko found it very hard not to glare back at her. By now, it was his typical reaction, after having many similar encounters over the previous months whilst he had chased her all over the world.

"I refuse to be left in the dark like this! It isn't fair! If you want this to work, Zuko, you're not going to be able to keep secrets from me!"

_Want this to work? Want **what **to work?_

"I haven't kept any secrets from you!" he snapped back irritably, letting Chan fall from his shoulder and onto the floor carelessly. Zuko hoped that it hurt.

"Oh really?" Zuko swore that he could see a vein in her head throbbing "Then why didn't you tell me about what happened with The Warden? Or the Sila Vatra? Or when I mentioned that Pai Sho tile? You just clam up all the time! How do you expect me to trust you if all you do is keep things from me?"

Feeling his patience wearing thin, Zuko balled his hands into fists at his sides and walked closer to her. He wasn't sure, but he thought that he saw her flinch away from him.  
She recovered quickly though and stood her ground.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't know that they were going to be a problem! How was I supposed to know we'd be attacked by the Sila Vatra and snobby Fire Nation kids when we've all been so busy worrying about Ozai?"

Katara had to look upward to reply. His superior height at least gave him the satisfaction of making her have to look him in the eye.

"You should have told us! An enemy is an enemy, Zuko! We need to be ready for anything!"

"You mean ready like you were ready on the day of black sun?"

Katara froze. Her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Don't you _dare _talk about the invasion to me, Zuko! You can't preach to me about something you weren't even part of! You were still one of_ them_!"

Zuko saw red.

_Don't you ever say that! Ever!_

He leant in close to her face, so she had to back away into a tree to avoid head-butting him.  
Katara seemed scared, but Zuko was past caring, consumed entirely by his rage.  
Her arms were backed into the sides of the tree and she looked up at him with a mixture of fear and loathing, her fingers digging into the bark.  
Zuko placed his hand on the tree trunk beside her head and leaned down toward her.  
He could see the nape of her slender neck and for a moment, thought how easily he would be able to snap it.

"I was _never _one of them." Zuko hissed, his face barely an inch away from Katara's "I left behind everything I had so that I could come and help you. You know nothing of my people and you know nothing of me. Don't you _ever _associate me with my father's actions again. I _am not _my father."

Katara's gaze was completely blank. She looked as if she might cry.  
When she replied, her voice came out as a small whisper.

"Even if you weren't one of them, you'll never be one of _us_."

Zuko froze.

_I'll never belong anywhere..._Slowly, he moved his arm away from the tree trunk and slid his body away from Katara.  
She seemed to be frozen to the bark. Her eyes told him everything that he needed to know.

Silently, Zuko picked up Chan's lifeless body, slung him back over his shoulder and walked away into the tree's.

* * *

They had walked in tensed silence for almost forty minutes before finding a suitable clearing to make camp.  
Neither of them had spoken to each other. Neither of them had looked at each other.

Zuko spent the entire journey in a silent fury.  
He wanted to do so many things.

He wanted to grab Katara and shake some sense into her.  
He wanted to tell her that she was wrong.  
That he _cared. _  
But most of all, he wanted to kick Chan in the head. His constant weight had become far too trying to continue on easily. Zuko's shoulder had fallen asleep and Chan's boots kept hitting him in the shins.

_I can't wait to just drop you on your head, you impetuous, stupid fool._

With each step that he took, Zuko could feel the seed of doubt that Katara had sown growing larger and larger in his mind.  
All of the things he'd done. All of the things he _should _have done.  
They had shaped everything that he had become. Thinking about what Katara had said, he wasn't quite sure he liked it.

_I am not my father. I am **not** my father. She's wrong. _

Open reaching the designated campsite, Zuko had dumped Chan onto the floor and placed him up against a tree.  
He had searched his pockets for any other concealed weapons he might be holding.

He found a coil of rope hanging from his trousers, some spark rocks, a compass, a canteen of water, some dried meets and inside his boots, Zuko had found...

_A knife! Thank Agni!_

Pulling the mans arms behind his back, Zuko had tied them together behind the tree, making sure to make the knots as uncomfortably tight as possible.

_Jerk.  
_  
Katara lurked in the shadows of the tree's as it slowly got darker, with her arms folded and her eyes downcast. She hadn't uttered a single word since he had yelled at her.

_Who is she to judge me? I'm trying my best! It's just never good enough!_

Once Zuko was sure that Chan was unarmed and could pose no threat, he tried to shake him awake.  
After getting no response, Zuko took great pleasure in slapping him in the face until finally, Chan's heavily drugged eyelids opened.

_Time for answers._

Chan took a few minutes to come to his senses. Once his head had cleared, his gaze focused directly on Zuko. Immediately is eyes formed into thin slits and he snarled at him.

"_Prince_ _Zuko. _How I've hoped to see you again."

He said his name as if it were the foulest word he could think of. Zuko's glance was just as cold.

"I need answers, Chan. And you're going to give them to me."

Chan simply smirked.  
Scowling, Zuko could feel his control slowly ebbing away. He was in no mood for pleasantries.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you,_ traitor_. But you aren't going to be getting any information from me."

_If you're going to make this difficult, then so will I._

Zuko held his palm in front of the other mans face. Chan looked at it stupidly for a moment before a small ball of flame erupted in his palm.  
Zuko's tone was icy and his gaze gave nothing away.

"I suggest you change your mind. I'm not in the mood."

Zuko's fire was reflected in Chan's eyes. They were wide with horror and his face was frozen stiff. He remained silent.  
Zuko guessed that as a non-bender, Chan was even more aware of exactly how much of a danger Fire Bending could be. Especially when it was in _his_ hands.

"Well Chan?"

But Chan remained silent.  
Narrowing his eyes, Zuko's patience began wearing thin.

Zuko edged the crackling flame on his palm closer towards Chan's face and the young man tried desperately to turn his head away from it.

_"Do you know what a burn feels like, Chan?"_

"Zuko, stop it!"

Katara was by his side.  
There was the same familiar look on her face that he had been so used to seeing all those months ago. She looked absolutely furious.  
Slowly, Zuko moved his palm away from Chan's face and extinguished the fire.

"What are you doing? This isn't right! He's a _human being_ before he's our enemy."

Zuko scowled and replied gruffly.

"You didn't see it that way when it came to _me_ all those months ago."

Suddenly, Katara slapped him.

She hit him hard on the scarred side of his face, the impact sending a sharp shooting pain through it to the back of his eyes. For a moment, his vision blurred. The accursed scar was particularly sensitive.  
Zuko fell back onto the grass, letting out a curse.

Tenderly, he touched his face where she had struck him. His skin prickled, still warm from the sharp contact.

Chan let out a laugh, but all Zuko could see was Katara.

She stood over him, her face completely emotionless and wet with silent tears.

"After everything I said to you in that awful place. After everything you told me. You're still willing to hurt people to get what you want."

Zuko lowered his head.

_My promise..._

Suddenly, he felt ashamed, forgetting what he'd said to her back at the prison.

"You say that you've changed , Zuko. Then why do you stoop to his level? Do you want me to see your face and think of _them_, Zuko?"

Wiping at her face, she turned away towards the tree's.

"I don't like you like this, Zuko. I don't like what it turns you into. If you're just going to keep on hurting people, you'll have to do it without me."

Before her silhouette faded away into the darkness of the tree's, Zuko held out his hand, frozen still on the ground.

"Katara?"

She turned to face him, her bright blue eyes stained red at the sides from her distraught, terrified tears. Zuko swallowed.  
For once, he looked her straight in the eyes.

_Please don't cry. I hate it when you cry._

"Just don't...don't go too far."

Without a reply, Katara turned away and strode off into the tree's.  
Raising himself up onto his feet, Zuko tried desperately hard not to punch Chan in the face as he bent over, laughing.

_I'll do it for you, Katara. I'll change for you._

* * *

Katara did not return for several hours.  
Zuko was incredibly worried, but knew that if he should come and find her, he would be on the receiving end of a water whip to the stomach.

_I'm sure she's okay. She always comes back._

While he waited for her to return, Zuko sat in the clearing and tried to meditate.  
It was made very difficult by Chan, who would occasionally break his concentration by insulting him or purposely making noise to annoy him.

Zuko grit his teeth and breathed deeply. He didn't retaliate. He _wouldn't._

_I scared her. That look in her eyes, it was the same look as before. The same look she had when I threatened her village. When I betrayed her in The Crystal Catacombs. Whenever I hurt her..._

Chan continued to throw a flurry of snide remarks and insults at him, whilst he sat there thinking.

"What's the problem, your majesty? Still having trouble with the ladies?"

_Shut up._

"Can't even bare to be alone, can you? What does it feel like, having nobody? Being the most hated man in The Fire Nation? Exiled from your own country?"

_Shut up, Chan._

"You know, that girl was kinda cute. Maybe when I get out of here, I'll take better care of her than you do."

Zuko found this comment particularly hard to ignore.  
Opening his eyes, he shot a venomous gaze at the young man. Chan smirked.

"Ah, so _that's _what's going on."

Zuko didn't like the tone of his voice. It was the same tone his sister used – manipulative and cruel.

_Keep talking, Chan. It may be the last thing you say._

"There's nothing going on." he replied moodily. But Chan simply shook his head, smiling grimly.

"So, the mighty, courageous Prince Zuko of The Fire Nation has a weakness – a lowly Water Tribe peasant. I'll have to remember that."

_I'll kill you!_

Zuko's heart seemed to turn to stone as it still beat in his chest.  
Standing up, he walked towards Chan and bent down beside him.  
He looked him full in the face, his eyes formed into slits and an animal-like snarl on his lips. He was furious.

"If you touch her, hurt her, do _anything _I don't like the look of, she won't be able to hold me back."  
The smirk on Chan's face faded. Zuko leant into his and whispered in his ear.

"Remember _that_, Chan."

Hearing a twig snap, Zuko shot up into a readied bending stance. But through the tree's, he saw Katara.  
She didn't look at him and he noticed she had two small dead rabbitskunks slung over her shoulder.  
Zuko relaxed and straightened up.

_She always comes back..._

Without making eye contact, Katara sat down on the floor and dumped both carcasses on the ground. Quietly, Zuko stood behind her.

"Let me. Chan had a knife with him."

Katara didn't reply.

Bending down next to her, Zuko unsheathed the confiscated knife and picked up one of the carcasses. As he skinned and gutted them both, Zuko tried incredibly hard not to vomit.  
Katara simply sat next to him, looking at the grass in front of her. She didn't speak or look at him, but she didn't move away either.

_She looks so small, so innocent. Was she always this...young?  
_  
When Zuko was finished gutting and preparing both animals, his hands were bloody and filthy. Holding both slabs of freshly prepared meat in both his still blood encrusted hands, he took a deep breath in and focused his inner fire.  
Leading the heat to his palms, Zuko had the meat cooked and hot in a matter of minutes.

He handed Katara her piece. She took it gingerly, saying nothing.  
Tenderly, she chewed away at it, as if it were the last meal she would ever eat. Zuko thought that she simply wanted to prolong the silence.

_Say something. Anything. Just not this, please._

"Hey, do I get some?" Chan piped up from underneath the tree. Trying hard not to throw a rabbitskunk leg bone at him, Zuko replied dryly.

"No."

The silence continued.

_Why do I keep hurting you, Katara? I don't ever want to hurt you._

When Zuko had finished his meal, he hugged his knee's to his chest. Katara finished her meal soon after.  
Waving her hand, she conjured a ball of water from out of the damp air collecting in the forest and passed it over towards Zuko's hands without looking at him.  
Wordlessly, Zuko placed his bloody hands inside the orb and washed the dirt off.  
It felt pleasantly refreshing. Like he was washing his old sins away.

"Can I have some water?" Chan asked from his tree trunk prison.

Katara responded by dropping the now bloodied water over the top of his head. Zuko tried not to smile as he could hear Chan spitting out the water, trying to rid himself of the taste of the dirty, bloodied water.

_Think she's cute now, moron?_

Katara and Zuko sat side by side, neither of them looking at each other.  
A gust of wind blew past ruffling Zuko's hair. T  
he moonlight caught on Katara's necklace and the beautiful stone reflected it brilliantly in the dark, glistening like a pearl at the bottom of the ocean.

Turning his head to look at her, Zuko saw a single gleaming tear running down Katara's cheek. Her hair was covering her face and her shoulders drooped.

_You're not who you once were. You can make this right._

Tenderly, Zuko carefully reached out his hand towards her face.  
Brushing at her soft skin, Zuko moved the hair away from her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. Her skin was like silk. She smelled like the first morning of spring.  
There were a million things he wanted to say, to do. To show her that he was sorry and that he would never hurt her again.

_I can change, Katara. I'm trying. I'm trying for you._

Katara finally turned and looked at him.  
Her eyes seemed to say something he couldn't pick up.  
For a minute, they simply looked into each others eyes.

Then, putting his arm around her fragile, chilly shoulders, Zuko pulled her into him and hugged her to his chest.

"I'm sorry." he whispered.

Raising her head from his chest, Katara looked up at him. Her eyes seemed to threaten to spill over with more tears. Leaning into his chest and placing her own slender hand on his arm, Katara whispered back.

"I know."

* * *

**Author's Note : Poor Katara. We all know that sometimes Zuko's temper gets the best of him. But he also knows when he's done wrong. That's why we love him so much – he's just so damn dysfunctional. It makes him more human.**


	18. United At Midnight

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters, Burning Rock part one and two and The Puppet Master.**

**Authors Note : Hope you guys liked the last chapter. For some reason, my email has stopped alerting me to reviews and stuff, so sorry if I take a little longer to reply to any of your questions or reviews. Stupid hotmail!**

**Also, special thanks to my anonymous reader, Rooeru for the encouraging reviews. Thanks loads for the ego boost. Hopefully, I won't disappoint. **

* * *

Neither Katara or Zuko slept that night.

They just sat up late into the night, either in silence or talking about things.  
Katara didn't feel as she once had with Zuko. The silences no longer bothered her and made her feel awkward.  
She found she could just sit back and listen to all the noises of the night.  
Sometimes, she was happy to simply sit next to him and feel the slow warmth emitting from his body.

Occasionally, Chan would make snide comments or begin complaining loudly at them. Eventually, they got tired of his whining and Zuko decided to shoot him with one of his own darts. Within seconds, Chan was sleeping like a baby.

Katara had been wary at first and simply lay into Zuko's body as he hugged her to his chest.  
What he had said to her...the way he acted when he lost his temper. It was all too much.

She'd thought about it for a long time, whilst she'd been in the woods.

At first she'd been angry.

_Why is he still saying such awful things? What gives him the right?_

Then, as time had worn on, she had become incredibly sad.

_Why is he doing this to himself? To me?_

But when she had shed all of her tears, Katara had felt hollow inside. She needed to be doing something. She wasn't ready to go back yet.

So, she'd tried her hand at hunting.

She'd never caught anything other than fish before, but with her bending returned to her, she found it a lot easier than she'd first thought. Katara had simply had to sit silently and lie in wait.  
As she'd waited, crouched under the trunk of a tree, thousands of thoughts had threatened to spill over into her brain, all fighting for answers.

_Why does this bother me?  
I don't want him to act like that ever again. It scares me.  
Will he listen to me?  
I don't want him to keep doing this to me.  
**Why** does he keep doing this to me?  
How can I make him see?  
He's hurting me.  
And he's hurting himself._

"Zuko?" she asked, her head resting on his shoulder. He had his hands in his lap and his legs crossed, looking out into the darkness of the tree's.

"Yeah, Katara?"

"What do you dream about when you sleep?"

Zuko raised his good eyebrow.

"Why do you want to know that?"

Katara shrugged, picking at the grass beneath them.

"I've been wondering for quite a while. When you're asleep, you just look so peaceful. Everything on your face, anger or worry, they just seem to melt away and what's left is...you."

_No anger, no hate or worry. Just you. You and your dreams._

Zuko straightened himself up and stretched his stiffened legs out. Katara had to move her head away from his shoulder, immediately missing the warmth of his inner flame.  
Even after everything they'd been through in the past few weeks, he still smelt the same, still felt the same...

_Like burnt Juniper..._

Zuko sat forward, bringing his knee's up to his chest and rubbing at his eyes. It was late.

"You watch me sleep? That's kind of creepy, you know."

Katara smirked and tried to push him over. He didn't budge an inch.

"Zuko, you dork. You didn't answer my question."

Zuko breathed in the scent of the fresh night air.  
Katara felt that she was really beginning to get used to the Fire Nation Summer.  
She didn't like it during the day, when it was humid and the air was too thick. But at night, the air cooled down and the she could listen for hours as the nightlife began to emerge.

"I don't know. Normal dream stuff I guess. Sometimes they aren't always good. But when they are, I feel as if I'm different. Like everything in the world just melts away. I feel...free."

Looking out into the tree's, Katara felt a sad smile perking up at the corner of her lips.

"You were always free, Zuko. You just...didn't know it."

He frowned. Katara guessed that he was thinking about his father or his sister.  
Katara arched her back, stretching.

"I dream of home."

Zuko looked at her. She looked at him.

_He's finally looking at me._

"What's it like at The South Pole, really? When I was there, it just seemed like a big, cold white blob."

"That's because you weren't looking properly."

Tenderly, she picked a small flower from the grass beneath her, holding it up in the darkness so Zuko could see it better.

"You can find beauty anywhere. You just have to look for it."

Zuko smiled gently. Katara liked it when he smiled.  
It seemed as if he became the person he wanted to be when he did.

Katara looked upwards, picturing all of the wonderful things she'd left behind in her home.

"Every spring, the South Pole would light up like it was on fire. When the sun would rise up from the sky, it would catch on the ice and sparkle like a thousand glistening stars. The waters would be so calm and the wind would still, if only for a little while."

She paused, thinking back to her favorite memory of her home.

"I always remember the snowflakes. When they're in a crowd, they all look like a big white blanket circling through the air. But when you find a single snowflake, stuck in your hair or on your eyelashes, you could see them for what they really were. Every single snowflake is different from the first. They all have different patterns and points. They're together in the same crowd, but all of them are different. Just like people."

Zuko fell silent. Katara wondered if she'd said something wrong.  
After a few minutes silence, he turned to her.

"I won't keep anything from you anymore, Katara. It's just..." he trailed off. Katara waited in the darkness for a reply.

"...Whenever people get close to me, they end up getting hurt. I thought that if you didn't know about certain things, I'd be able to protect you from them."

Katara hugged her knee's.

_Why won't you just let someone take care of you for once, Zuko? You don't need to protect everyone._

Slowly, Katara slid her hand over the grass towards Zuko's. She blushed fiercely, wondering if she was being a little too intrusive.  
Gently, she placed her own hand over the top of Zuko's.

Even in the dark, she could make out his pale skin. A darker shadow draped itself lightly over the white skin – her own hand.

"Zuko. You don't need to protect me." she paused and blushed even harder "But I'm glad you do."

* * *

The moon hung low in the sky. Soon it would be dawn.  
Katara and Zuko were still awake.

"So, when we turned up at the party, I found Chan talking to Mai. I got kind of jealous. So, Azula, Ty Lee, Mai and I..." he sounded a bit embarrassed "...we set his beach house on fire and destroyed his stuff."

Katara tried not to laugh.

"You know, Zuko, most other families are quite happy to just sunbathe and go swimming."

Zuko grunted, holding his hands up.

"Welcome to my family."

"I can't believe you actually _kissed _that girl." Katara joked "She's just so...moody."

Zuko pointed to himself. The first subtle light of dawn was beginning to filter through the treetops.

"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not exactly a ray of sunshine, Katara."

She giggled.

_He's just so...open. I never thought I'd be able to talk to him like this. What changed?_

"And really, Mai wasn't all that bad. She understood me and she knew everything that I'd been through. She was the only person I could really talk to. Not many other people have as much patience with me as you do."

"Zuko, she used to throw _knives _at us!"

"You forget, if it weren't for Mai, we wouldn't have been able to escape from The Boiling Rock." his voice went quiet "After everything I did...she still saved me."

Katara stayed quiet.  
Really, he was right.  
If Mai hadn't helped them to escape from the prison, she wouldn't have seen her father, brother, Suki or Zuko ever again.

_It used to be so much simpler when everyone was just trying to kill us..._

"I've never really been able to find..." she trailed off, realizing what she was about to tell him.

_Why am I telling him these things?_

They sat in silence for a few moments.  
Zuko inched closer to Katara when she shivered and draped an arm around her shoulders.  
Katara blushed and looked away, but thankful that he had noticed that she needed him.

"It's understandable." Zuko said to her, his shaggy hair tickling her right ear as he hugged her close. "With training the Avatar and running from the Fire Nation, you probably didn't have a lot of free time for...uh, that sort of thing."

Katara laughed.

_What did he think about before he joined us?  
Did he think about us?  
Did he think about me?_

"I might have been able to, if you weren't always one step behind us on your boat, with your pointy uniform and scary bounty hunters."

Zuko didn't laugh.  
Mentally, Katara slapped herself on the forehead.

_Why do I keep reminding him of things he doesn't want to remember?_

"Dawn's coming."

Katara looked over to Chan, whose head had lolled forward onto his chest, his eyes rolled back in his head.

"What are we going to do with him?"

Zuko sighed, moving his head over Katara's shoulder to look at Chan.  
He really needed a haircut, his shaggy hair was tickling her neck. Katara was amazed that he could still see through all of it.

_Is my hair that bushy too?_

"Not a lot. As soon as he wakes up, we'll get some answers. Then we'll just have to figure out what to do afterwards."

As Zuko turned his head back over Katara's shoulder, his mouth brushed against her cheek. Katara jumped.  
Zuko blushed, quickly letting go of her and moving away from her a little.

"Sorry. Accident."

Katara touched her cheek, where his lips had scraped.  
She turned her head away from him, her fingertips lingering on the spot. She could feel a warmth on her skin that hadn't been there before.  
The smell of burnt Juniper lingering in the air for a moment.

_Sure. An accident._

Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, looking at the ground. He pulled his knee's up to his chest. His face was covered in between his knee's. She had a feeling that he might be blushing.

_Or smiling._

Katara wasn't sure what to say. Everything had just happened so quickly.

A few hours ago, they were arguing.  
A few days ago, they had been imprisoned.  
A few weeks ago, they wouldn't even speak to each other.  
And a few months ago...they had been enemies.

_What's changed everything so quickly?  
And why has it changed?_

"Katara, I...I..."

Slowly, Katara turned herself back around to face Zuko. S  
he could see his golden eyes lingering on a spot on the floor. He didn't meet her gaze. She wished that he would.

"What, Zuko?"

He kept his eyes on the floor.

"I just..." he sighed "I'm glad we had this talk."

Katara could feel her cheeks burning.

_Is that really what you were going to say?_

"Yeah. Me too."

Katara spread her arms backwards and splayed out on the grass. Zuko did the same a little distance apart from her.

Katara could already feel the dew seeping through her hair and soaking her skin.  
Without really thinking about what she was doing, Katara swirled her hand in a circular motion, pulling blobs of dew away from the grass and forming it into a small ball. Twirling a single finger, the tiny blob of water began to rotate in a circle.  
With another flourish of her hand, the orb split into two smaller ones and began circling each other.  
The delicate rays of morning sunshine began to filter through the tree's, making the small particles of water glisten and sparkle.

"Zuko?"

He took a moment to reply, seemingly transfixed by the swirling watery orbs.

"Yeah, Katara?"

"I'm really glad that you're here with me."

For the first time in what seemed an incredibly long day, Zuko smiled. It was a gentle, calm smile that sent Katara's stomach down to the bottom of her toes.  
Turning his head on the grass to face her, his golden eyes told a tale she knew his mouth never would.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Katara."

* * *

**Author's Note : So...much...Zutara...fuzzy-ness...can't...keep...up! This chapter was a little shorter than many of my others, but not too much. This is mainly a chapter based around character development. They're finally getting to know eachother and talk (or at least without attacking each other soon after).**


	19. The Interrogation

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters, Burning Rock part one and two and The Puppet Master.**

**Authors Note : Whoop! 120 reviews! You guys seriously rock! I couldn't have continued on with this fic if it weren't for you all.**

**Also, a few chapter back (I can't remember which one), Zuko said, 'No second thoughts. No second chances'.  
Congratulations to nephertiri, who spotted that these were some lyrics from the film 'Phantom Of The Opera'!**

**I luff that movie. :-P**

* * *

They waited until they had caught some breakfast before beginning Chad's interrogation.

Katara and Zuko both went into the woods together, not much caring about leaving Chad by himself for a while.  
He had still been unconscious when they had left him, so they hadn't been particularly worried about wether he'd pose a threat or try to escape.

"Those must have been some seriously powerful darts they used on us." Katara commented before they left "When they put you down, you _stay _down."

They were both incredibly tired, with large dark circles ringing their eyes.  
But Zuko had never been happier. He had a sneaking feeling that Katara felt very much the same way.

They had sat up the entire night, their hands still resting on top of each other as they watched the sun rise up and over the canopies of the tree tops.

Zuko couldn't help but feel that Katara's hand looked so right when it was nestled on top of his own. Her slender, delicate brown fingers placed tenderly on his larger, muscular ones.

He had been incredibly cautious around her for a few hours after the entire 'kissing' incident.  
He didn't want to scare her.

_It wasn't even a kiss. It was just an accident. _Zuko thought to himself.

Katara strode happily in front of him, her graceful legs moved her as carefully and delicately as a gazelle's.  
Zuko couldn't help but stare.

He was happy. He was happy because _she _was happy.

Zuko caught sight of a silvery movement out of the corner of his good eye.  
Darting around with lightning speed, he let Chan's knife fly free and fast from his hand.

The blade of the knife sat centred directly where he had aimed it into the trunk of a tree, wobbling slightly from the impact.  
Zuko let out a puff of frustrated air.

"Not fast enough."

Katara came to his side, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. She seemed stiff and tense.

"What was that?" she asked him, sounding a little worried.

Zuko turned around to face her, holding his palms out in front of him.

"No, no. Don't worry. It wasn't anything bad. It was just a squirrel-frog."

Katara visibly relaxed.  
Her grip on his shoulder slackened and her body wasn't so rigid.

"Zuko, you almost gave me a heart attack! I thought it was the Sila Vatra again!"  
Although her words were meant to be stern, she said it with a smile on her face. Zuko rubbed at his eyelids.

"It _was _going to be our breakfast, but I wasn't fast enough. I guess I'm just losing my touch, I'm so out of practice."

Katara looked to where the knife blade was still embedded into the bark of the tree Zuko had thrown it at.  
She took her hand away from his shoulder, though Zuko wished she hadn't.  
Her dark, brown hair shone delicately in the filtering sunlight.

"Zuko, would you show me how to do that?"

He frowned a little and tilted his head to the side.

"Knife throwing?"

She seemed eager, heading toward the tree with a bounce in her step.

"Yes. It just looks so...precise. Plus, if ever I was caught without water again, I'd be able to defend myself with something else if I was under attack."

Zuko shrugged and headed over towards the tree.

Katara was pulling at the hilt of the knife uselessly, trying to dislodge the blade from inside the bark.  
Placing his hand over her own, Katara let him pull the blade away from the tree.

_Such small hands..._

Elegantly, Zuko flipped the blade in the air and caught it again by the handle.

"Okay. The first and most important thing about knife throwing is the propulsion." He mimicked throwing the knife, flicking his wrist back and forth effortlessly.  
"If a knife doesn't have enough speed behind it, it won't have enough power to reach its target...or damage it." he added.

He held his hand out to Katara.  
Gingerly, she took it.

Zuko positioned her in front of him, facing the same direction as he did so that his chest pressed into her back. He placed the hilt of the knife in her palm, closing her fingers over it with his own.

"You also need to make sure that you throw it at an angle. A knife spins when it's thrown, because the heavier weight of the handle propels it through the air and makes it travel farther."

He held Katara's wrist, leaning over her shoulder from behind her back.

"You need to flick it."

Directing the movements of her hand, Zuko used his own hand to show Katara what to do.

"So I just...I just flick it?" she asked, testing out the motion for herself.

"Don't forget to pull your arm back before you throw it though. It gives it extra momentum."

Zuko stepped away from behind Katara, his fingers trailing up along the skin of her arm where he had been holding her as he did so.  
He noticed that he left goosebumps along her shoulder an forearm.

"You try."

Taking a breath inwards, Katara put one foot in front of her to ready herself. Then, in one motion, she pulled her arm back.  
And the blade flew from between her fingers, flying behind her.

Zuko ducked, the blade missing his scalp by mere inches.  
He felt the air fly past his head as the knife passed over, landing dully on the grass with a thump.

Katara pressed her hands over her mouth and gasped. She rushed over to him, though Zuko really didn't know what she was making such a fuss was about.

"Zuko, are you okay? I'm so sorry! It just slipped out of my hand! Are you alright? I'm so so s-"

Zuko smiled and held his hand up to silence her, smiling gently.

"It's okay. I'm fine, don't worry. Lucky for you, your propulsion was lousy."

Rolling her eyes, Katara pushed him feebly, a shocked laugh escaping from her lips. Zuko didn't budge.

"I can't believe you, Zuko. I nearly took your head off and you're complaining about my technique!"

She couldn't help but smile.  
Zuko was shaking his head, as he bent down to retrieve the knife from the grass behind him.

"Look, if you want to learn how to throw knives properly, you're going to have to find the right balance. It isn't a case of one quality over the other. Every part of it needs equal attention and care." he smirked at her "Or else, something like that happens. Very much like Fire Bending."

Balancing her weight on her left leg so that her hips jutted out, Katara crossed her arms and smirked back at him.

"Oh, so we're _Knife Bending _now, are we? I hope you weren't this hard on Aang when you were training him."

Zuko moved over to her and whispered deviously next to her ear.

"No, I was worse."

He took up his position behind her, leaning back over her shoulder to hand her the hilt of the knife. He clasped his fingers over her own so that they closed over the handle tightly, but this time, he didn't let go. Instead, he pulled her arm back gently.

"About this height. You need to turn your body with it as you let it loose."

Placing his free hand on her hip, Zuko directed Katara, turning her right side outwards, whilst bringing her arm up with the other hand.  
Katara seemed to stiffen under his touch.

_Did she just shiver?_

"Turn yourself with the motion. Use your weight to help it fly. And don't forget to flick your wrist."

Zuko moved her through the motion another few times, twisting her hips outward and pulling her arm back toward himself.

_Looks like we're dancing..._

Her wrists were so small. He could easily fit them into his palms with extra room to spare.

"Turn, bend your elbow, push and flick."

Slowly, he moved away from her.  
His fingers traced the same patterns up and along her skin as he backed away. He noticed that the goosebumps were still there.

Zuko stood to the side of her as a precaution this time, as she positioned herself in the first stance.  
Breathing softly, Katara took a step back, turned and let it loose.

The knife span rapidly through the air, its spin driving it even farther and faster. The blade landing deep in the bark of a tree.

Katara's face broke into a huge grin.  
Her eyes lit up and she jumped on the spot, pointing to the knife embedded into the wood.

"Zuko, I did it! I did it! You were right! Look!"

Looking at her childlike wonderment, Zuko's face split into a grin. He'd never seen anyone so excited about knife throwing before.  
Watching the ecstatic look on her face, the grin turned into a smirk and eventually, Zuko found himself laughing joyfully.

"Well done, Katara! I knew you could do it."

Katara had stopped hopping about, but the smile still remained glued as a permanent fixture to her face.  
Everything seemed to light up whenever she smiled like that.

_You're so beautiful when you smile.  
_  
She went to the tree to remove the knife.  
Her own shot hadn't been as forceful as Zuko's and she was able to pry it loose from the trunk easily.

"I suppose I should start calling you 'Sifu Hotman' now?" she joked.

"Don't even think about it." he replied, smiling back at her.

* * *

They returned to the camp an hour or so later with their breakfast.  
Zuko had managed to catch some rabbitskunks, whilst Katara had foraged for any edible berries. After checking with Zuko that they were all alright to eat, they began preparing the meal.

They worked together to gut and skin the meats.  
Zuko was slowly overcoming his preconception of preparing his own food. After having to continually do it for the past few days, he had come to forget that it had once been a living creature.

It was just as Zuko was beginning to warm them up in his palms that Chan woke up.

_Oh right. **You**...  
_  
Zuko rolled his eyes as Chan came around. He certainly didn't want to help speed the process up until he had at least finished eating his breakfast.

After Chan had come to his senses, he exploded into a coughing fit.  
Katara immediately went to his side.

_Always the healer... _Zuko thought to himself.

"Chan? It is Chan, isn't it?" she asked him, bending down to eye level. Chan nodded as soon as he had finished coughing. "Would you like some water?"

_Why are you being so nice to him?_

The young man nodded vigorously.  
Zuko realized that they hadn't fed or watered him once since he'd been their captive and immediately felt a little guilty.

Katara's slender fingers clawed at the air delicately and removed a small quantity of water from a fern.  
She immediately split it into two orbs and discarded the one filled with dirt and bugs.

Chan eyed the glowing orb greedily.

Katara knelt down beside him again, circling the sloshing stream right before him.  
"Before I give this to you, Chan, I want you to answer me one question. Will you do that?"

Chan glared at her spitefully and didn't reply.

Shrugging, Katara bent a small quantity away from the main source and into her mouth.  
A small drop of it escaped her mouth and dribbled down the nape of her neck and down to her shoulder.  
Zuko suddenly felt very thirsty himself.

Katara gulped down the water, sighing happily and with obvious exaggeration.  
"Ah, it's so cool and refreshing. I feel much better. My throat was _so_ dry..."

Zuko tried incredibly hard not to laugh at the look on Chan's face.

_I know what you're doing Katara. You're tempting him. I didn't know you had it in you._

Katara twirled her fingers lazily, swirling the stream of sparkling water close to Chan's mouth, but just out of his reach. He grunted and glared at her.

"Fine. What's your question?"

Katara grinned.

"I thought you'd see it my way. And you'd better answer truthfully."

_If only Toph was here. _Zuko thought._ She would know._

In the pit of his stomach, Zuko felt a pang. He missed the plucky Earth Bender and her biting wit.  
She'd always been a friend to him, even when he'd first asked to join the group. Zuko was very fond of the young girl.  
He liked to think of her as the younger sister he never had.

_Or at least, the younger sister who wasn't trying to have me killed._

Katara swirled the water around in the air as she asked her question. Chan's eyes never left the liquid ball.

"Okay Chan. I want to know one thing. I want to know why you're following us."

Chan looked at her as if she'd asked him what colour the sky was. Katara corrected her folly.

"_Apart _from the fact that you work for The Sila Vatra and you're trying to capture us to get to the Avatar and collect the bounty on Zuko."

Zuko flinched inwardly.

_Must be a big bounty to go through this much trouble._

Katara continued.

"I want to know why _you _personally are here. Why you joined those...barbarians."

Zuko tried not to say what he was thinking.

_Perhaps because he **is **a barbarian..._

For a moment, Chan simply looked at her with his head tilted to the side. The tiny hint of a smile nagged at the corner of his mouth.

"You could have asked me anything and you asked me_ that_?"

Katara crossed her arms, rising back onto her feet.

"I don't think that you look like the typical Sila Vatara member. Plus, it's the only question I think that you'd answer honestly."

Chan cocked his head, a sly grin on his face.  
His voice sounded raspy and Zuko could see that he kept swallowing.

_Tell us what we want to know and you'll get that drink..._

"Okay, I guess I owe you that much" he looked at Katara "for someone as pretty as you."

_Watch it._

Katara shot Zuko a glance, warning him not to repeat the drama from the other night. Zuko was infuriated to see that she was actually _blushing_.  
Chan continued.

"I'm sure that his royal majesty here has already told you exactly how we met." Katara nodded.  
"Well, as you know, my father is an important man in the Fire Nation army. But my connections don't stop at my father."

Chan looked at Zuko.

"Do you remember a vase that you and your..._friends_ broke? A particularly expensive, antique vase?"

Zuko rolled his eyes, his mouth turned up in a sneer.

"Don't tell me. You're here to kill us to avenge the death of an expensive vase because you're parents were mad at you? Man, you villains are getting more and more unimaginative!"

Katara couldn't help but laugh. She tried to stifle it behind her hands, but Chan noticed.

His voice was icy when he replied and the look he shot Zuko could have de-railed the Earth Trains of Ba Sing Se.

"No. And I would prefer to direct my answers to your lady friend here." he nodded his head at Katara "I don't like to associate with filthy blood traitors."

Zuko stood up, fist's balled, but sat back down again when Katara's stern look told him otherwise.  
Katara nodded for Chan to continue, who simply smirked.

"That vase belonged to my grandmother. There was something particularly valuable in that vase that was not meant to been seen by prying eyes. Unfortunately, when it fell, it was seen by many and you know how people gossip." he laughed out loud "  
How pathetic of you both, thinking that I've joined to the Sila Vatra as a last resort! I've been fully aware of this organization for years! My father has had a hand in several of our most famous operations."

_The Fire Nation Village..._

"No, do not flatter yourself, Prince. Killing you is not a matter of money, pride or honour. It is simply about self-preservation. If the Avatar should happen to come my way, then more's the better. My family is well respected among the Fire Nation. Those that saw what fell from it will start gossip. And from gossip comes rumours. Those rumours are going to slowly work their way into my families connections. We cannot afford to lose those connections. We don't like to be denied what we want, Prince Zuko."

Chan cast his eyes sideways in Katara's direction and smiled.

Zuko grit his teeth together, trying so hard to quell the rage inside him that threatened to spill over. Their breakfast still lay untouched, now cold and completely forgotten.

_I can't blow it. I have to learn more. Don't let him get to you..._

And he wouldn't break his promise to Katara again.  
Chan looked at him, grinning from ear to ear.

"I believe you are familiar with my grandmother and her sister. Your family should know her very well by now..."

Zuko didn't like the sound of his voice. He was certain that he knew the answer, but wasn't sure that he wanted to find out.  
Katara glanced at him questioningly.

_My grandmother and her sister..._

"Li and Lo..." Zuko whispered to himself.

* * *

Chan's smirk seemed almost manic.

_Is there **anyone **in The Fire Nation that's not part of this?_

"Who are they?" Katara asked him. He remembered his promise.

_No more secrets._

Zuko sighed, rubbing at his eyelids.

"Li and Lo are two incredibly twisted old ladies. They've been known Fire Nation radicals for years. They were the ones who taught Azula...how to shoot lightning."

"I have to say," Chan continued "I didn't recognise you _or _your sister that night, _Prince_. I realize now that that was my first mistake. Your sister is a most powerful bender...and a good kisser."

Katara looked down at the floor.  
Zuko was beginning to see red at the corner of his vision.  
How typical of Azula to be...fraternising with someone like **him**! The very thought of those two power-hungry, savage monsters together made Zuko want to be sick.

_We just keep finding webs within webs._

Chan was staring at Katara. Zuko didn't like it.

As Chan continued his story, his eyes kept wandering over her like a greedy, starving man.  
Zuko clenched his fists together so tightly, his fingernails cut into his palms, bringing forth a little blood.

"Anyway, the contents of that vase were exposed when you destroyed it. In front of dozens of people. The information was kept safe, but our insignia was spotted and recognised by a few guests. And as I said - rumours spread like wildfire."

"What insignia?" asked Katara.  
The corner of Chan's mouth twitched.

"Take off my shirt."

"_What?!" _Zuko stood bolt upright and strode over towards where he was sitting.  
Katara placed a hand over his bare chest, trying to keep him from doing something stupid.

"Zuko, don't."

"But what he just said...it's not...I...he.."

Chan began laughing.

"The Prince is even more stupid than I first thought! I have a tattoo of our insignia underneath my shirt, _your majesty_."

Feeling a throbbing in his neck, Zuko simply grunted.

_I will hurt you for that. _

Chan's grin did not fade as he looked at Katara.

"Well? You wanted to see it, didn't you? The insignia?"

Katara's face was stern as she looked over at Zuko. She seemed to be pleading with him.

_This could help us, Zuko. It's okay. Just don't do anything stupid._

Zuko grit his teeth together and dug his fingernails deeper into his skin as Katara began to un-do the buttons of Chan's shirt. She avoided eye contact with him, looking like she didn't even want to have to touch him. Chan did not look at her either, but at Zuko.  
That smile on his face. That wretched, sickening smile!

"Hey, you have cold hands." he commented, as Katara removed the last button.  
She smacked him around the head.

_I'll kill you. I swear to Agni._

As Katara pulled open Chan's shirt, Zuko could see the black insignia bourne into his flesh, just below his collarbone.

_I hope that really hurt._

The insignia was a simple one.  
It was of an eye with a trailing flame surrounding the lids.

Chan seemed strangely proud of it, thrusting his chest forward as if it were a medal. Zuko hated him.

"You'll get to show it off as much as you like later on. I'm taking your shirt."

Zuko stood up and walked towards them, leaning down beside Katara and looking Chan straight in the eye.

"What was hidden in the vase?" he asked, icily.

Chan didn't reply. He just say there, smiling.

Zuko took a deep breath and asked again, hissing the question through his teeth.

"I'll ask you again. I said _what was in the vase?_"

He didn't reply.  
Zuko leant close to his face, his eyes narrowed into slits. His top lip curled in hatred.

"_What was it Chan!"_

Chan recoiled from the force of Zuko's voice. Katara crouched warily beside Zuko, her palm resting on his arm.  
Lowering his head, Chan replied in a hushed voice, without looking at them.

"Plans. The Fire Nation's new secret weapon."

Zuko hissed at him, utterly infuriated.

"_What?"_

Chan looked up. His eye's seemed dim and unresponsive.

Zuko placed a hand around the boys neck, forcing him to look him in the eyes. He was careful not to make it obvious to Katara that he was squeezing very hard.

"_Tell me_, Chan."

He looked Zuko in the eyes. The hatred in his own seemed to be almost all-consuming.  
Both pairs of golden eyes were locked in a fierce, silent battle of will.  
Zuko squeezed a little tighter.

"We're going to win the war." he managed to say "We're going to break the Avatar reincarnation cycle."

* * *

**Author's Note : Oooh, drama. How are the Sila Vatra going to break the reincarnation cycle? What was in the vase? And is Zuko ever going to get a shirt?? (Personally, I don't want him to, but that would be impractical).**

**Lol, Knife Bending. I'm such a dork. **


	20. More Questions, Less Answers

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters, Burning Rock part one and two and The Puppet Master.**

**Authors Note : I would like to thank cynicalmuse, who has very kindly produced the first piece of fan art for my fic.**

**I'm so happy that you guys are enjoying the fic so much. This was only supposed to be about 5/6 chapters long when I first started it, but when you guys all gave me such brilliant feedback, I couldn't help but carry it on!**

**Oh and I forgot to mention...I'm such a sentimental moron that today, I got 'Sila od Vatra' tattooed on my back! XD  
It hurt like no tomorrow, but it was all worth it. To me, it represents creativity, encouragement and generally, a very productive time in my life. (Sad or what?)  
As soon as it heals, I'll post a link to a photo for you guys to see.**

* * *

Katara felt as if her blood had turned as icy as the waters of the North Pole. She gaped at Chan.

"Destroy the Avatar reincarnation cycle? But – that's not possible!"

But Chan's smirk seemed to tell her otherwise.

"Oh, I'm afraid that it's all very real. And there's nothing you can do to stop it!"

Beside her, Zuko pushed Chan's neck deeper into the wood of the tree. Katara could see Chan flinching under his grasp.

"What is it, Chan?" Zuko spat at him.

Katara placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. Zuko seemed to pick up on her warning and let go of Chan's neck.

_He must be trying so hard to hold back..._

Their captive coughed, breathing back all of the precious oxygen he had lost. In the back of her mind, Katara vaguely remembered Zuko in the exact same position with The Warden a few days before.

Zuko crossed his arms as he waited for Chan to relax. Katara could see his veins under his pale skin.

_How can he always look so strong? So ready?_

When Chan had calmed down, Katara asked him the question again.

"What is it, Chan? What's the secret weapon? How are you going to break the Avatar cycle?"

Raising his knee's up to his chest, Chan tried to position himself a little more comfortably.

"I believe I answered the first question you asked me."

Katara raised her eyebrow.  
It was only then that she realized she still hadn't given Chan anything to drink yet. In her worry, she hadn't noticed her water fall back to the ground.  
Quickly conjuring up another ball of water from a fern and separating out the dirt, Katara carefully slid the stream of water into his waiting mouth.

After swallowing every last morsel, he sighed happily.

Katara felt a little guilty for forgetting.

"Okay, Chan" she began again "I gave you what you wanted. Now will you answer our question?"

But the adamant prisoner simply stuck his nose up at them.

"I don't know anything."

Katara could tell simply by looking at him that he was lying.  
She noticed that Zuko was staring at her. She immediately knew by looking at his eye's what he was thinking.

"_Let me loosen his tongue."_

Katara didn't like it, but they needed to be moving on as quickly as they could, and if scaring Chan was the only way to do it, she guessed they had to.  
Sighing inwardly, she nodded to Zuko.

_Just don't hurt him, okay?_

The hint of a smile graced his lips. Katara guessed that he had been waiting for her to let him intimidate Chan for quite a while now.

Quietly, Zuko bent back down beside her and glared at Chan with those same eyes that he used to frightened her with all those months ago.

"I know you're lying, Chan. Now we can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

Zuko cracked his knuckles. Chan looked a little nervous.  
Zuko continued calmly, as if he did this sort of thing everyday.

_Maybe he **did** do this everyday, all those months ago..._

"Now, the easy way." Zuko continued. "You tell us what we want to know and I don't hurt you. We let you go, and you scurry back home, off to those beach girls who seem to like you so much."

Moving his head from side to side, Katara could hear Zuko's neck cracking too.

"But if it's the hard way," Zuko continued as he leant a little closer to Chan "then I'm going to have to take drastic measures. I'm a little out of practice with my Fire Bending and I need a target."

Katara could see Chan quiver.

_Chan may act tough, but he's really just a big coward._

The Fire Nation boy stammered a reply.

"I...I don't know what it is – honest!"

Zuko stood up.  
He stretched his arms in front of him and back again.

Katara desperately hoped he wasn't going to do something he would regret.

_Don't hurt him, Zuko. You promised.  
_  
Zuko lit a small flame in his palm and looked at it.

"Well, I guess it's going to be the hard way then."

Katara was about to get up and stop him when she saw Zuko wink at her.  
It was very subtle and Chan seemed not to notice as he trembled in his bonds and darted his head around.

"You won't stop me, will you, Katara?" Zuko asked "This guy has obviously made up his mind."

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Katara stood up and crossed her arms.

_Here we go again. More acting..._

"Nope." she said as lazily as she could "Torch the guy for all I care. He obviously hasn't got anything useful left to say."

Chan started struggling, whipping his eyes around, looking for an escape route.

"Okay then." Zuko said, his tone just as lazy as Katara's. "We may need to find some burn cream later."

Zuko raised his arm up, the tiny ball of fire still flickering in his palm.  
Katara tried not to cringe.

_He won't. He wouldn't. It's just acting._

Zuko looked at Chan, his stance ready and his muscles pulled back.

"Goodbye, Chan."

He arched his back, drew his arm backwards and...

* * *

"Wait! Please!" Chan cried, thrashing about wildly at the base of the tree "The Spirit World! It has something to do with The Spirit World! That's all I know, I swear! Just don't burn me! Please don't burn me..."

He hunched forward, shaking like a leaf.  
Secretly, Katara wanted to go and comfort him. She hated to see anyone so distressed. Even him.

Extinguishing the fire in his hand, Zuko lowered his arm and turned to her.  
Katara felt her muscles flop back down to where they normally were.

_I knew you wouldn't..._

"The Spirit World?" Zuko asked her "What's that got to do with anything?"

Katara shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. If only Aang were here, we could find out."

"Think he's telling the truth?"

Katara looked down at the babbling boy, who was bent over himself, begging over and over again for Zuko not to burn him.

"Yes, I think so. He's too scared to lie."

Zuko bent down to Chan's level, who seemed to be hyperventilating.

"Does anybody else know about this? Do you know who's planning it?" he asked him.  
This time, Chan didn't seem so hesitant to tell them.

"My...my father was ordered t-to...guard the plans. He's in Ba Sing Se, s-so it's not him. H-he was given the order by his...his superior. The...the man who had us imprison you."

"The Warden..." Zuko breathed "Why does it always come back to him?"

Katara sighed and rubbed her heavy eyelids. She could feel a headache forming.

_You could have stayed in the South Pole, settled down and just married a nice fisherman. But nooooo, you needed to learn Water Bending and help the Avatar save the world, didn't you?_

"Do you know where he is, Chan?" she asked the trembling boy, as nicely as she could. She didn't want to scare him even more.

Chan sniffed. He took a long time answering between gasps of air.

"He...he's headed back...back to the central base...it-it's in the capitol city...a-a big...big black building...in the Eastern side of the city..he...he sent a search party to-to locate you...but didn't stay himself...so far I'm...I'm the only one that's managed...to find you."

Zuko rubbed at the back of his neck and sighed. Katara noticed that he seemed to do this a lot.

"When, Chan?" she asked him gently "When are they going to use this...weapon?"

Chan bowed his head low into his chest.  
The boy had obviously given up.

"H-he wants to...reclaim his standing with...with the Fire Lord by...d-destroying the Avatar...They're going to...the F-Fire Sage's Temple...going to use it when they're at their...their most powerful...on the day of Sozin's Comet."

* * *

"Well, it seems that our mission has just gotten about thirty times more deadly!" Katara sighed, throwing her arms up in the air.  
"Does it never end?"

Zuko remained silent, tugging at the arms of his new black shirt, which seemed to be too tight on him.

They had talked everything over before leaving the campsite.  
Not only did they need to get back before the comet arrived, now they needed to find out about this new 'secret weapon' involving the Spirit World, stop it _and _at the same time, defeat the Fire Lord!

For a while, they had wondered how they should deal with Chan.

"Coat him in honey and hope a platypusbear comes along." Zuko had grunted.

Instead, Katara had cut his hands loose and immediately drenched them in water and frozen it over.

"He still can't get loose" she'd explained to Zuko "but by the time that ice melts, at least a day would have passed and we'll be long gone. It's not too intense, so he won't get frostbite. A few hours after it's melted, he should be able to use his hands again."

Zuko had smiled smugly as he watched Chan shiver.

"You're a genius, Katara. You know that?"

They had also stated loudly (so that Chan could hear) that they needed to head North West and find a river, in the hope of sending him into a different direction if he _did _follow them again.

_Not that he probably would after Zuko scared him so badly._

Chan had begged and pleaded for them not to leave him there alone.  
His wailing had began to give them a headache, whilst they tried to plan out their next route.  
Katara had suggested they shoot him with another dart. But Zuko, simply stood up and walked over to Chan, stating,

"I have something much easier."

Chan's child-like squalling had quickly been silenced when Zuko had punched him in the face and knocked him out.

They walked through the tree's in silence as the sun reached its peak in the sky. Katara fanned her face, feeling sweaty and claustrophobic in the heat.  
Every now and then, she would see Zuko tugging at the sleeves of the black shirt he'd taken from Chan.

"This stupid shirt's too small." Zuko fumed, tugging again at the short sleeves.

"Why don't you just cut them off?" Katara suggested.

Zuko shrugged and bent down on one knee to remove Chan's knife hidden in his boot. Catching up with her in a single stride, Zuko slid the knife upwards into the cloth so that the sleeves opened up. Katara could see red marks around his forearms where the shirt had been digging in.  
For a moment, Katara couldn't help but just stare at Zuko's strong arms.

_He's just so...wow!_

But after realizing what she was thinking, she quickly shook her head and dismissed the thought.

"We're really going to have to think this through before we find Aang again." Zuko said, looking directly ahead into the tree's. "There's a lot to figure out."

Katara nodded.

_Too much._

"I don't know how we're going to be able to do it all, Zuko. There's just so many new...dangers." She replied, trying not to stare at his arms.

Zuko slapped his forehead in frustration.

"I just can't believe I didn't know any of this. Li and Lo! I should have known they'd be part of it – those evil old hags have been known as notorious Fire Nation radicals for years! And to think, I was right there with them at the beach..."

Katara stepped gingerly over a root, trying to look at Zuko whilst concentrating on the path ahead.

"Do you think Azula's in on this?"

_Because that would just make things **so **much easier..._

Swiping away a cloud of mosquito's from his face, Zuko sighed.

"I don't think so. My sister has always liked to be at the centre of command. The Sila Vatra all work as a unit. If I remember correctly, there's only four or five men at the top pulling the strings – no one leader. Azula definitely wouldn't want to be part of that unless she was centre stage. At least, I hope not."

Katara rubbed at her forehead, her headache still throbbing.

_Stupid, childish Chan..._

"You're country is really weird, you know?" she said, more to herself than to Zuko.

Zuko moved a branch away from in front of him, rolling his eyes.

"I know, I know. We're all evil, heartless monsters who just want to burn things and destroy humanity, right?"

Katara frowned at him, the trunk of a tree blocking them momentarily until they joined up again.

_Once upon a time, that's what I thought. But not about you..._

"No. I just mean in general." she chided gently, smiling at Zuko.  
"Old ladies becoming evil dictators, doing ballet with dragon's, men with metal arms who use their brains to attack you, shooting fire out your nose every time you sneeze...it must all become very tiring after a while."

Zuko couldn't help but laugh. Katara liked making him laugh, liked hearing the sound of it.

_I always want to be able to make you look so happy._

"Yeah. It does get a little weird." he replied, smiling.

They entered another clearing next to a cliff face. Most of the surrounding area was taken up by craggy clusters of fallen rocks and branches.

Even after spending all of her time in the forest running for their lives or escaping poisonous darts, Katara was beginning to see the beauty of the area.

The slender, white trunked tree's were over-shadowed by their mountainous sweeping branches and delicate leaves, which were beginning to turn slightly orange. Enormous, gaping ferns and bushes littered the floor, spilling forth their leaves like an opening flower. Butterflies exploded from them when they passed and disturbed the peaceful silence, a flurry of red and black little creatures, drifting in the breeze as delicately as torn paper.  
Small birds chirped almost everywhere they went, flitting through the treetrunks gracefully as they dived and swooped.

Katara had seen a pair of lovebirds perched on a branch earlier that day, sitting next to each other and tenderly ruffling their feathers as they crept a little closer. Their beautiful, delicate little eyes seemed to shine with happiness as they darted down from their branch and playfully chased each other about in the sky.

Katara had looked at Zuko, who hadn't seemed to notice them. She had ignored it and hid a blush from him as they moved on.

Katara clambered up over the rocks in the clearing carefully, concentrating on her feet.

"Do you ever wonder what the world would have been like if we weren't all at war?" she asked Zuko, without looking at him.

"I don't know." he answered, quickly clambering along the rockfalls beside her "All I know is war. I can't really imagine what it would be like if we weren't."

_A world without hate...but a world where I would never have met you all..._

Katara wasn't sure what she was thinking.  
She knew she should be feeling guilty for being glad that this terrible, bloodthirsty war had brought them all together – but she didn't.

They reached the end of the lump of rocks.

Zuko clambered down first, offering his hand up to Katara. Trying incredibly hard not to look away from him and giggle, she took it and jumped down back onto the grass.  
When they began walking again, Katara felt that she hadn't wanted to let go of his hand.

"Well, if it weren't for the war, I never would have found Aang or Toph. I probably wouldn't have learnt Water Bending or been able to travel the world..." Katara blushed "...and I wouldn't have met you."

Zuko turned to look at her as he walked. He was smiling gently at her.

"Katara...I..."

"Zuko" Katara said, interrupted, pointing warningly in front of him.

Instead of looking to where she was pointing, Zuko had kept staring at her face.

Stumbling, he tripped the log she had been pointing at and fell onto the floor.  
Katara burst out laughing as Zuko wiped some dirt away from his face.

"What?" he snapped at her.

Katara clutched at her sides laughing, looking at the Fire Nation Prince slumped on the ground, with a twig sticking out of his hair.

"I told you to watch out for that log."

* * *

**Author's Note : Sorry about giving Zuko his shirt back guys (you won't believe how many reviews I had asking me not to lol), but we don't want our hero to catch a cold now, do we? P**

**The Spirit World? What could it be about? Hmmm...guess you'll just have to wait and find out. **

**(Aren't I a sod with all these cliffhangers?) XD**


	21. A Kiss In The Dirt

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters, Burning Rock part one and two and The Puppet Master.**

**Authors Note : Okay, I've been thinking about this for a while now. I think that as soon as Zuko and Katara join back up with the gaang, I'm going to have to continue the plot as another story. This already has more chapters than I'd expected and I don't want it to look so scary for new readers.  
So, I might continue the plot as a separate story. Because technically – it's just a whole new adventure.**

**This chapter is really make-or-break for me.  
I have a feeling that you guys will either love it or hate it. (Maybe I should have named this chapter 'Marmite'). XD**

* * *

It had taken them another two days of travelling before the large clusters of tangled tree's began to thin out. They were fewer and farther between, with the soft grass slowly giving way to pale, brown dirt. The rays of sunshine were beginning to get stronger as the leaves above them got thinner.

Stepping out of the forest that had been their home for the past week, Zuko and Katara had looked down from the steep slope onto the large open plains of rocks and endless brown.  
From their vantage point, they were able to see what looked like a small town a few miles away.

_We're almost there..._

Zuko had not been at all happy to leave the forest and didn't smile as Katara did when they reached the opening.

"We'll be easy targets out there." he had said to Katara. "The Sila Vatra could spot us a mile away."

Katara had crossed her arms, breathing in the dusty open air with her eyes closed.

"I know, Zuko. But we haven't seen anything of them for weeks. Apart from Chan, it's as if they've just...forgotten about us."

Zuko grunted.

"Or they're just waiting for us."

Katara's eyes had wandered over the long, empty plain. Zuko thought he could see the cogs turning in her brain, thinking about what to do.

"We don't have any other choice, Zuko. This was the way we walked just after the invasion. It heads straight to the temple and we can't afford to go around the long way. At least out here you can use your bending, right?"

_It's been far too long..._

"But you can't." he replied "There's no water for miles."

"Well, I've still got the canteen of water we took from Chan. I guess that I'll just have to make it last as long as possible."

Crossing his arms over his chest along with Katara, Zuko had closed his eyes to think.  
There was no way they'd be able to survive in this empty dessert all the way to the Western Air Temple without proper supplies.

_We can't walk through to the temple without transport. It's too far. And Katara can't bend here. There's no water. Nothing to hunt. No shelter. Nothing..._

"We have to head towards the town. It's risky, but I don't see what other choice we have." he decided "We need supplies and an ostrich-horse if we're ever going to make it back to the Western Air Temple in time."

Katara had looked at him, a slight frown wrinkling her nose.

"But Zuko, we don't have any money. How are we going to pay for anything?"

Zuko had sighed heavily before making his descent down the steep and rocky slope.

_That's what The Blue Spirit is for..._

"We're not."

* * *

Zuko had always hated dirt.

No matter what it was he did, it always seemed to end up everywhere. In his hair, his eyes, his clothes.  
The occasional breeze would sweep over the plains and immediately cover him in chips of dirt and sand.  
Zuko hated it.

_How does Toph stand this? _He thought to himself, once again feeling a little pang in his heart.

Zuko knew that once they got back, it was most likely that the little Earth Bender would be the only one who would be even a little happy to see him. Aang would probably be a little relieved too, but only because Zuko was his Fire Bending teacher.

_What if they think it's all my fault? _Zuko thought, worried.  
_What if they think that I kidnapped her? Or attacked her?  
What if they think that I haven't changed and that it was all a lie?_

Wiping away at the front of his shirt, Zuko tried to brush away the dirt.  
Every now and then, sand would blow up at him from a gust of wind, momentarily blinding him or causing him to spit it back out. He felt incredibly dirty.

_How long has it been since I had a bath? I probably smell like a rooster-pig!_

Zuko had made sure that he and Katara passed through the open plains and towards the small town as quickly as possible. The longer they were out in the open, the bigger the risk they were taking.  
Out here in the open, there was nowhere that they'd be able to hide.

"Zuko?" Katara asked, walking along beside him.

"Yeah, Katara?" Zuko had almost forgotten that she was there. They'd been walking in silence for almost an hour now.

"Do you...do you think that maybe I should go to the town alone? There's probably wanted posters of you everywhere. I mean, you _are _a 'traitor' now."

_A traitor..._

Zuko stopped in his tracks, tugging at Katara's arm to do the same.  
He looked directly at her, making sure that his stern face meant he was serious about what he said.

"Katara, I'm not letting you go there alone. We can't risk splitting up, especially if the Sila Vatra turn up. You'd be surprised how many wanted posters I've been on before, and it's never been a problem. And I really don't think you'd be too happy about stealing an ostrich-horse from someone."

His hand still held on to Katara's wrist. She looked back at him, with a faint smile.

"You obviously don't remember the incident with the pirates, do you? You know, you teamed up with them, attacked us, tied me to a tree and tried to bribe me into telling you where Aang was."

Zuko tried to smile back, but found he couldn't. He still felt insanely guilty about that...

"But that was from pirates! This is different. Again, I'm sorry I attacked you and tied you to a tree, but this really isn't the same. And I don't want to see you get hurt if somebody recognises you. There's probably a high price for the Avatar's Water Bender, as well as for me."

Katara pulled her hand away from his grasp and scowled.

"I wish people would stop calling me that. I'm not 'the Avatar's Water Bender', I'm Katara. Me. My own person. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a Master Water Bender. I can take care of myself, Zuko. You don't need to protect me all the time."

Zuko looked down at the floor.

_But I want to._

"I know you can, Katara. You're more than capable of holding your all. Believe me, I know. It's just that, if someone recognised you and the Sila Vatra outnumbered you and you got captured..." he sighed, trying to find the words.  
"I don't know what I'd do if you had to go back to that awful place by yourself because of me. I couldn't bare it."

Katara's scowl softened, but she still remained with her arms crossed.

"Why is it so important to you, Zuko? Why do you need to always bare the burden by yourself?"

_Because it's my fault..._

"Because...because I have to!" Zuko stammered, feeling a little angry, though he didn't know why.

"No, Zuko. You don't. We're all in this together, remember?"

Katara reached her hand out and touched his face.  
Zuko tried not to recoil in surprise. Her soft, gentle fingers stroked his cheek, the scar underneath obviously no deterrent.

_She...she doesn't see it. Not my scar. But me..._

Zuko stared down into her eyes. He could remember all those months ago, those same delicate fingers tracing along his scar in the Crystal Catacombs.

"_Maybe you don't have to live with it..."_

"You don't have to do this alone, Zuko." she whispered, looking up at him "You don't have to keep hurting yourself anymore. We work together. As friends. As a family."

Zuko could feel himself leaning in towards her touch. It made him feel so certain, so sure.

Wrapping his arms around her small shoulders, Zuko pulled her into a hug. He felt her own arms rise up around his waist as she hugged him back, pressing herself into his chest.

"A family..." Zuko repeated to himself, resting his chin on the top of Katara's head.

_This is everything I want. Right here and now._

Raising her head from his chest, Katara looked up at him, still clutching her arms around him tightly, as if she never wanted to let go. Zuko could see that her sparkling blue eyes were glistening with something he hadn't seen before.

"_Our _family." she whispered, smiling softly up at him.

Zuko felt his heart soar.  
Pulling her tightly against him, he leant down and kissed her.

_Katara..._

Her lips felt so soft.  
Zuko could smell the scent of her hair in the breeze as he cupped her face in his hand. She leant into him, kissing him back ever so tenderly.  
Her fingers began to trail through his hair and gave him goose-bumps.

But then, she pulled away from him like a shot.

Zuko could still feel the warmth of her lips on his, wishing that he could sense her touch again.

_What did I just do?_

"I-I'm sorry, Katara." he stammered, feeling like a fool "I don't know what..."

Katara was staring at the floor, her arms wrapped around herself protectively. Her face was a deep red colour.

_Zuko, you idiot! You really scared her!_

"It...it's okay, Zuko." Katara replied, still not looking at him. She paused, and Zuko desperately hoped that she wouldn't walk away and refuse to speak to him ever again.

"Let's go." she said, turning back around towards the direction of the small town "It's getting late."

_I can't believe I just did that..._

As Katara walked away, everything inside of Zuko seemed to deflate and inflate at the same time.  
He looked at her back as she walked away. He wasn't sure how he should be feeling. A thousand and one thoughts were fighting for control in his head.

_I kissed her. And she kissed me back!  
Now she's mad at me. What if she won't speak to me again?  
But I kissed her! I kissed her and she didn't attack me, or laugh or anything!  
Sokka's going to kill me..._

* * *

The next two hours, they had walked along the dusty plains in absolute silence. Zuko had walked a little behind Katara, his eyes downcast, concentrating solely on the floor. With every step that he took, he repeated the same word over and over in his mind.

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

Zuko's initial joy had faded into embarrassment and shame as he walked, with Katara not saying a single word.  
Zuko felt incredibly angry at himself for forcing himself on her like that.  
He desperately wished that she would say something to him, but didn't want to be the first one to bring it up again.

_I can't believe I did that! What was I thinking? She probably hates me._

But if she did, Katara never did anything to show it.  
For once, Zuko found that it was him who couldn't stand the silence.

Usually, Zuko liked the quiet. It gave him a chance to think and figure things out.  
But after their kiss, it seemed to him that there were too many things to think about.

_Fire Bending and masks aren't going to help you out of this one..._

As evening was approaching, they reached the edge of the small town, about half a mile away.  
Katara stopped in front of him and sat on a low rock to rest her feet.

Timidly, Zuko sat down next to her, cautiously aware of how close he was. There was no need to scare her even further.  
For a few moments, they simply sat on the rock, staring over toward the town.

_What should I say?_

It was beginning to cool down and the sun was slowly setting. Zuko was secretly glad.  
Even though his bending would be a little weaker, there was less chance of him being recognised in the dim light.

_It's not exactly hard to miss my trademark. _He thought, reaching up to touch his scar absentmindedly.

"We need to find a farm before we look for anything else." Katara said quietly.

Zuko jumped.  
The silence had been so absolute for so long, he seemed to have forgotten what actual speech sounded like.

"What?" he asked, stupidly.  
His brain seemed to be shutting down and he wasn't sure that he had heard her properly. There were too many other thoughts in there, fighting for answers.

"An Ostrich-horse. We need to find an Ostrich-horse." Katara said. She didn't look at him. "That way, if there's trouble, we can leave as quickly as possible."

Zuko nodded, sighing.

_At least **she's **been thinking about the plan._

"Look, Katara." he began, hoping against hope that his words came out as he intended them to. "About earlier...I just...it was..."

But Katara held a finger up to her lips, effectively silencing him.

_Why is it that girls can always make me look like such an idiot?_

"Don't talk, Zuko." Katara mumbled, turning her gaze back towards the floor "We can talk about it later. But right now, we need to do what's necessary and get out of here."

Silence.  
Zuko fiddled with the collar of his shirt that was slowly suffocating him.  
A breeze flew past, sending bits of dirt tumbling across the floor.

_Just say it, you moron. Just say it._

"I'm sorry." Zuko whispered, his head hanging low. "You must really hate me."

Out of the corner of his eye, Zuko could see Katara looking at him.  
She edged closer to him on the rock and placed her hand over the top of his.  
Zuko turned to look at her.

"Zuko..." Katara said, gently. She was smiling. "I could never hate you. Not now."

Zuko couldn't help but let his mouth slowly form into a smile.  
He felt so relieved. She hadn't told him that he was sick and evil like he had expected her to. She hadn't refused to talk to him again or laughed in his face.

_She's accepted me...  
_  
Zuko gripped her hand and squeezed gently, but still didn't look at her.

_Don't you dare let her see you blush. It's girly._

"Thanks, Katara." he murmured to the ground.

Quick as a hummingbird, he felt Katara dart into him and plant a kiss on his cheek.  
Zuko looked up, touching the spot on his face where she'd kissed. It had been light and sudden, but it had meant something.  
Exactly what it meant, Zuko wasn't sure. But he definitely knew that it was good.

Katara was smiling at him, if a little awkwardly.

She turned her head away from him, blushing.

Zuko wanted to slap himself when he turned his own head away as well, trying to hide his flushed cheeks.

_I told you not to blush!_

"I guess..." he stumbled "..I guess we should...uhm...go."

Katara nodded silently. When they stood up, their hands were still clasped tightly around each other.

As the final rays of sunshine began to filter away and give in to darkness, they walked the last half mile towards the entrance of the small town. Even though he felt foolish, vulnerable, stupid and dirty, Zuko had never been happier in his life.

* * *

**Author's Note : Ooooh! Love is in the air! I thought that this chapter might be a little touch-and-go, but that's really up to you guys.**

**Hopefully, you'll be so over-excited by all the Zutara fuzzies, that you won't beam me over the head for getting anything wrong. P**


	22. No Pain, No Gain

**

* * *

**

Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters, Burning Rock part one and two and The Puppet Master.**

**Authors Note : Whoop! Nearing 200 reviews! Thanks you guys, you've really been brilliant throughout the entire story. **

**And finally, I've been able to put up the link for the first piece of fanart for EAI (or at least, the first piece not done by myself lol). The artist, Cynicalmuse has kindly produced some artwork for Chapter 12.  
The link is on my profile, so go check it out. And if you're a Deviant Art member like myself – go say hi and comment it!**

**I'm afraid you won't be hearing much from me until Sunday now. I've got a family reunion to go to up in England and then a flat-warming party with my boyfriend on Saturday.  
So, I apologise in advance if I take a little longer replying to reviews or PM's.**

* * *

It was reaching twilight by the time they arrived at the edges of the village.  
Their hands had remained clasped together as they had walked the last half mile, saying nothing.

A million and one questions, possibilities, worries and exclamations were all soaring through Katara's mind haphazardly, bumping against each other and forming even large thoughts.

_He kissed me! Zuko kissed me! **Zuko!**  
I can't believe he did that!  
This can't be right, but it doesn't feel wrong.  
What are the others going to say? Maybe we shouldn't tell them.  
And I kissed him back!  
Why did I do that?  
I...I wanted to.  
But this is Zuko you're talking about!  
Hasn't he proven himself more than enough by now?  
He's a really good kisser...  
Shut up! This isn't the time to be thinking about kissing!!_

There was no way that Katara was going to voice any of these thoughts to Zuko, as much as she wanted to.  
She wasn't sure what she should be thinking.

It was confusing, frustrating, completely alien to her and really really wonderful!

At least, she felt that it was wonderful.  
A small part of her old self kept nagging away at her, nudging up the roots of doubt. She swiped this voice away, certain that she was just being irrational.

_He's changed. He's changed **a lot**!_

Katara had tried to keep up a confident, uncaring prestige whilst she and Zuko had headed towards the small town.  
Although her mind was racing a mile a minute, Katara still found herself looking around at the town for escape routes, vantage points, sources of water and generally analysing the place.  
She'd found herself doing this more and more regularly as she had travelled across the world.  
When you found yourself in an unfamiliar, foreign place, it was always best to check your surroundings for a possible advantage.

Absentmindedly, Katara spotted a large, iron roofed building at the edge of the town and recognised it as a barn. There were a cluster of animals outside to pasture, all making grunting noises and scuttling about, preparing themselves for sleep.

_That's what we need._

Zuko tugged at her hand, stopping her mid-step. She looked back at him.  
Katara wasn't sure that she'd be able to control the grin she could feel peaking at her lips every time she looked at him.

_You...you kissed me. My first kiss._

"Katara?" Zuko's face was serious. He had obviously been thinking hard about what they were going to have to do. Katara tried to get her facial features quickly under control.

"What is it?" she asked him.

"We're going to need to be careful around here. It's quiet, but I think we're being watched."

Katara looked around.  
Although they had entered the town some minutes earlier, she had yet to see a single person. The place was completely empty of life. It was eerie. She realized that she hadn't noticed any of this when they had entered the small cluster of houses.

_Too busy thinking about kissing... _A small voice in her head taunted.

"I don't see anyone." she replied, looking about "But if you were right about Chan, then you're probably right about this. We should go as quickly as we can and just get out of here."

Zuko nodded, his lips forming a thin line and his eyes watchful.

"I didn't see any stalls around here. I think that food will just have to wait. We just can't risk it."

Katara pointed towards the small-holding pen where the little creatures scuttled about in the dirt.

"What about those? We're already taking an Ostrich-horse. I don't think two or three Rooster-pigs would go amiss."

_I can't believe how much I'm getting used to stealing and killing things!_

Zuko raised an eyebrow, as if he hadn't expected her to suggest it, but strode forward into the fray of animals none the less. The birds and hogs began to make little nervous scuffling noises at his intrusion into their pens.

"We're going to need to work quickly." Zuko whispered to her, creeping slowly into the pen "These animal's are going to make a lot of noise."

Katara bit her bottom lip and nodded, taking her cue.  
Quickly turning, she set off along the dirt track between the pens, toward the stable. She had no problem when it came to gutting animals, but she had never liked to see them slaughtered.

The noises of the livestock were beginning to get a little louder, a little more restless. Katara sensed that Zuko was already beginning to pick out their food. Her stomach grumbled loudly and she hugged it, willing it to silence.

_Great! We'll get captured because my stomach gave us away!_

Katara jogged up to the great wooden barn and pushed at the great oak door. Unexpectedly, it swung inwards easily. Katara had expected it to be locked or something.

The light inside had long been put out and Katara found it difficult to make out what was inside.  
As her eyes adjusted to the dim shapes inside the barn, Katara spotted the shape of an Ostrich-horse. It raised it's head to look at her, confused as to why it had been interrupted whilst it was grazing.  
Tenderly, Katara crept towards it, making quiet cooing noises.

The large beast pawed at the ground nervously and made a small grunting sound in its throat.  
Katara held her hands outward as she carefully moved towards it.

"It's okay." she whispered "I'm not going to hurt you."

She wasn't even sure why she was saying it. But everybody always did it when approaching nervous animals.  
Usually, it seemed to work, though the poor thing probably had no idea what she was saying.  
She tried to make herself as relaxed and friendly as possible.

Suddenly, a loud squawking noise followed by a gurgling sound came from the fields outside. Katara flinched.

_That was loud. Way too loud._

As quickly as she could, without startling the Ostrich-horse, Katara reached up a hand to the beast's neck and stroked it. The animal seemed to relax, seeing that though she was unfamiliar, she was friendly.  
Katara released the reins from the post that held it steady, holding the animal tightly in her fist.  
Opening the gate to its pen, she tugged gently at the reins, hoping that the Ostrich-horse would let her guide it.

Another strangled squawk filled the air.  
The animals outside were all making a racket, cawing, grunting, whining, squealing and squawking.

Katara was horrified when she heard the sound of a door slam shut. She heard muffled yelling and more animal cries.

_Of all the times he chooses to be clumsy, he had to chose now! I thought he was supposed to be good at the whole sneaking, ninja thing!  
_  
Slapping the Ostrich-horse on the rump, Katara flung herself into the saddle, wobbling uncertainly as she gripped at the reins.  
Almost immediately, the beast lunged forward and out through the door of the stable.  
Katara gripped at the reins tightly, her heart running a mile a minute.  
She felt incredibly unsteady, having never ridden an Ostrich-horse before.

_What better time to learn than when you're running for your life?_

She tried to remember everything that she had seen in Ba Sing Se. Tried to remember how the soldiers had moved their animals and how they had controlled them.  
Turning her steeds head in the direction of the noise, Katara kicked it into action, heading back toward the pen's.

_It worked! Yes!_

In the darkness, she could make out two figures. One was waving a pitchfork and thrusting it at the other figure, who seemed to be Zuko.  
He had three dead birds slung over his shoulder, ducking and dodging away from the farmers weapon with ease, but not wanting to attack the farmer.

"Thief! Thief!" the farmer was shouting at the top of his lungs, still jabbing at Zuko. "Intruder! Somebody help me!"

As Katara galloped towards Zuko, she could see that doors and windows of nearby houses were being flung wide open and inquisitive heads were looking out to see what the fuss was all about.  
Several villagers were running from their houses, brandishing house-hold weapons, all directed at Zuko.

Katara pushed the beast faster, holding on tightly to the reins for dear life.

"Zuko!" she called to him, barely twenty feet away. Zuko looked over at her, reaching up an arm.

The farmer seemed to have frozen stiff, pitchfork in mid stab. For a moment, he was simply silent, as if he were trying to remember something from long ago.  
Suddenly, he began screaming even louder than before, his voice almost hysterical.

"The traitor! The traitor Prince! He's here! Sound the alarm! Call the guard!! Call the guard!!"

* * *

Uncertainly, Katara tore one of her hands away from the safety of the reins and reached down to Zuko as she plummeted past the farmer on the stolen steed. Lightly, he grasped her arm and swung himself into the saddle behind her.

"Katara! West! Head West!"

The dead birds Zuko had stolen flapped limply against Katara's back, as Zuko's arms wrapped themselves loosely around her waist. She tried not to gag.

Katara sped the beast on, avoiding the angry villagers who were now swarming from their houses like bugs, with weapons brandished and enraged cries.

Katara stiffened as she heard a dull thudding resounding through the air.

_Ding. Ding. Ding._

A bell! They were ringing a bell. But why?

Leaning dangerously to the left, Katara managed to manoeuvre her mount around a cart in the path. She almost let herself topple off sideways, but felt Zuko's arm bringing her weight back up into the saddle.

_Where's a flying bison when you need one!_

She felt Zuko's legs kick at the beasts flank behind her and the Ostrich-horse sped up, recovering easily from the slight tip in balance.

As they broke through the last cluster of houses and back out onto the open plains, the shouting began to dim down, though the resounding clang of the bell seemed to follow them.

"Why are they ringing a bell?" Katara managed to shout back to Zuko as they galloped through the dirt, the huge clawed feet of the Ostrich-horse sending up clusters of earth.  
Zuko clung to her waist, leaning in close to her ear and raising his voice so that she could hear him.

"That farmer. He recognised me when you called my name. He said something about calling the guard..."

Katara could feel Zuko arching backwards and looking behind him.

"Katara!" he called back to her, the wind whipping her hair around her face "We've got company!"

Carefully, Katara turned her head around, twisting her body with it to get a better look, whilst never letting her grip on the reins slacken.

She could see a large cloud of dust collecting several hundred yards behind them. Dimly, Katara could make out forms through the dirt. They were large, hunching shapes, bobbing up and down. There were several of them. Katara guessed about half a dozen.  
Forcing her eyes to focus, Katara tried to identify the shapes.

With a gasp of surprise, Katara realized that their pursuers weren't small town sheriffs or angry villagers as she had expected. No.  
What she saw saw five or six mounted riders, charging after them, draped in black with hooded faces, sending their eyes into shadow.

_The Sila Vatra! No!_

Whipping her head back around to the reins, Katara called back to Zuko.

"How long do you think we can outrun them?"

"Not long!" he yelled back "They're riding Basilisk Lizards. They'll be on us any time soon!"

"Do you think you can keep them off us?" Katara yelled back, remembering the terrifying, hulking lizards and being strangely reminded of Azula.

"I can try. It's those darts I'm worried about. We get hit by those and it's all over."

* * *

Katara kept her head low and bent over the neck of the Ostrich-horse as its feet pounded powerfully into the ground below. She could hear the dull thudding of the Basilisk Lizard's behind her getting louder and louder, closer and closer.

With every bob of the Ostrich-horses legs, Katara chanted the same, desperate plea over and over in her head.

_Please. Please. Please. Please._

Distantly, Katara heard a sharp puffing noise and suddenly a wave of flame erupted from behind her. She heard several wooden objects sprinkling onto the floor below as they sped past. She could smell burning wood.

Katara edged the Ostrich-horse on faster, kicking into its sides as one of Zuko's hands unwrapped itself from around her waist.

Another series of puffing noises were heard, just as the darkness behind her lit up again in a brilliant orange blast.

"Zuko!" she called back at him, her heart pounding in her chest "Fight fire with fire!"

Pulling the small, hollow reed and pouch from her belt, she thrust it into Zuko's waiting hand. There were only five of the darts they had taken from Chan left.

"Make it count!" she called, before turning back to the head of their galloping mount, just in time to steer it away from a large rock in their path.  
She felt Zuko sway behind her, trying to keep his balance.

_Too close!_

The quick puff of air she had become so fearful of sounded behind her, except this time, it was their advantage to use.  
Dimly, Katara thought she heard a thud, like something hitting the ground. Zuko called back to her, his voice sounding triumphant.

"Bet they didn't expect us to have our own darts!"

Suddenly, an intense ball of flame came hurtling from behind them, almost an inch away from Katara's left elbow.  
The Ostrich-horse brayed, swaying its head wildly in the air, still in mid-gallop. Katara grasped at the reins, trying to keep it under her control.

"Zuko!"

Another small puff of air came from behind her, Zuko's grasp tightening around her waist. He swore.

"I missed!"

"Only three darts left, Zuko!" she warned, finally getting the Ostrich-horse under control and sending it forward at top speed. The three dead birds flapped dully against Katara's back. Frankly, she was amazed they were still there!  
Looking back, Katara could see that the Sila Vatra were perilously close now. Barely fifty feet away, the five remaining Sila Vatra were hot on their tail.

_No. No. No. No. No. Not like this! Not now!_

Katara uncorked her water skin, releasing the stream of water inside.  
She really hoped that they wouldn't need to use it, but she realized that this was just wishful thinking.

Katara felt Zuko's muscles tighten behind her as he thrust his arm outwards toward the oncoming enemy, a fire ball protruding from the tip directly in the path of a Basilisk Lizard. It jumped over the blast, clearing it easily.

Almost directly after, another puff of air sounded from Zuko's lips. Katara desperately hoped that it would keep the Sila Vatra down long enough.

Another jet of fire shot past them as Katara swerved the Ostrich-horse sharply, barely avoiding the collision.  
An arrow flew from overhead.  
Turning around, Katara sent her water whip out as quick as lightning and severed the arrow in half. It was left in the dust as she forced the Ostrich-horse on faster and faster.

Katara felt warmth on her back as Zuko sent another fire ball flying at them. A dart flew past Katara's ear, landing harmlessly onto the floor.

"Zuko! They're too close! We can't keep this up!" she called, her heart seemingly in her mouth.

_I can't go back there! I won't!_

"Turn around!" he shouted back at her, his arm arching up in a semi-cricle incased in flame, to deflect another onslaught of arrows and darts.

"What?"

"Just do it!"

* * *

Grasping the reins as tightly as she could, Katara pulled backwards and leant as far to the left as she could. The Ostrich-horse responded, veering to the left sharply.  
Katara could see the frightening, looming shapes of the remaining Sila Vatra as she circled around to face them. There were four of them left.

Sweeping her arm around as quickly as she could, Katara sent a lengthy stream of water to the ground and froze it. The baffled Basilisk Lizard's weren't quick enough to anticipate the attack and lost their footing.

Sliding across the ice, all four of the riders fell from their mounts to the ground. Katara felt Zuko squeeze her shoulder tightly.

"Nice work!" he yelled, as she pulled the Ostrich-horse back around towards the attackers. The Sila Vatra had risen quickly, their stances ready and deadly.

Zuko shot out the last dart before jumping down from the Ostrich-horse, the three dead birds flopping limply into the dirt. The dart flew true and hit one of the men squarely in the shoulder. He was slumped to the floor within seconds.

Calling up as much remaining water as she could from the small canteen, Katara pulled the Ostrich-horse to a stop and jumped off.

A large sweep of fire immediately rose to meet her and she cut it in half with her water whip, steeping back through it unharmed.

Twirling the water around her body at top speed, Katara shot it out at her nearest attacker. It gained momentum and crashed into the man, sending him backwards. But quickly, he rose back onto his feet.

A small circle of fire cut in front of her, slicing another arrow in half as it sped toward her. It fell harmlessly to the floor.  
Zuko stood in front of her, panting.

Katara could feel the intense heat coming from him and it almost made her want to step away.  
She noticed that Zuko had already taken one man down.  
Now there were only three Sila Vatra left standing.

_No more Miss Nice Bender!_

A volley of fire was shot at them, both above and below. Katara sent her water up to the upper wave, breaking it in half, while Zuko sent a sweeping roundhouse kick to the floor, re-directing the lower ground attack away from them.

Circling around each other, Zuko and Katara shot back at the attackers. An onslaught of water and fire licked at the Sila Vatra, forcing them backwards. Whenever Katara drew back, Zuko would step forward to take her place. Whenever he stepped back, she stepped forwards.  
One man fell. Two left.

Glancing at Zuko, Katara gloved her hand in her remaining water and froze it, like an impenetrable glove. Zuko nodded to her.  
Holding his arm out, Katara grasped at it with one hand. Her foot balanced on his knee and Zuko used both his and her momentum to swing her in a circle, the glove of ice connecting roughly with another attackers face.  
He fell to the ground and didn't rise again.

Jumping down from Zuko's knee, Katara returned to ice glove to its liquid form and glared at the remaining member of the Sila Vatra. His eyes were wild and unpredictable.

Reaching down to his side, he raised the reed pipe to his lips and let another dart fly forth. Katara swiped it away easily with her water whip.

"Not this time." she said, staring the desperate man down.

_Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me._

Reaching behind his back, the man pulled out his weapons. They glistened lightly in the rough moonlight. Katara recognised them from somewhere.  
Two twin blades, almost identical to...

"My dual swords!" shouted Zuko. Gently, he put a hand on Katara's shoulder.

"This one's mine, Katara."

His face told her that she was serious. Nodding grimly, she stood back, passing the feeble amount of water that was left back and forth between her hands.

_Don't do anything stupid. Please don't get hurt..._

* * *

Slowly, Zuko stepped forward to face the man. He had no weapon, but his stance was sure and steady as he faced down the last remaining man.

"You have something of mine." he hissed.

The man didn't reply.

For a moment, there was nothing. Neither men moved. A small breeze blew Katara's hair away from her sweat-drenched neck. The sounds of the Ostrich-horse scuffling in the background were all that could be heard.

Then suddenly, the man sprang forward.

In a downward slice, he aimed both swords for Zuko's chest. Zuko easily deflected them with his wrist guards, the metal making a loud and sharp clang as it connected.  
Ducking under the next sweep of the swords, Zuko thrust both his palms upwards into the mans stomach.  
He careened backwards from Zuko's blow, but quickly found his footing. Taking up his stance once again, the man lunged.

Swiping madly at Zuko liked a crazed animal, the soldier began striking at anything he could.  
Desperation was taking over his common sense and he was beginning to panic.

Zuko deflected them with a series of sweeping kicks and clashes from his metal wrist guards.  
Ducking out of his assailants reach, Zuko swung himself around behind the man and sent him flying forward with a roundhouse kick.

The man's face connected with the dirt and he grunted, trying to raise his head from the earth.

Leaping beside the man before he could right himself, Zuko jabbed two of his fingers into the back of the mans shoulder, where it joined the neck.  
Immediately, the man's body went slack and his face fell back down into the dirt. In the back of her mind, Katara was reminded of Ty Lee.

_Is it...is it over?_

Raising himself from the ground, Zuko picked up his beloved swords.

Katara looked around, her heart seemingly convulsing in on itself.

Slowly, she felt her muscles begin to relax, as she realized that there was no one left.

The battle was won.

The crumpled, injured bodies of the Sila Vatra were strewn across the floor, slowly being coated in a breeze of dust. There were burn marks along the earth and the patch of ice on the floor was beginning to melt. The Basilisk Lizard's had righted themselves, but simply raked at the dirt, uncertain of what they should do without a command to guide them.

Katara looked back at Zuko. He looked at her.

_We made it. We're okay.  
_  
She rushed forward into his arms, clasping tightly at his back, as if she were afraid to ever let go.  
Dropping his swords to the ground and wrapping his own strong arms around her, Zuko leant into her embrace as they both shivered in the cold, night air.

* * *

**Author's Note : Dear God, that has to be the hardest chapter that I've written so far. I was perfecting it for almost three hours, wondering exactly what the hell I could do, if I was writing it wrong, if it wasn't action-packed enough...or had too much action really.  
I dunno, either way, I'm glad to have it out of the way.**

**I'm afraid, that apart from the next chapter (which will be an epilogue), that this is the last chapter of 'Eventualities Are Inevitable'.  
Don't worry, I'm not leaving you all high and dry.  
I will be continuing on the fic, but in another story. This one just has too many chapters to keep track of and technically, we've entered a whole different neck of the woods now.**

**That's why I'm going to be starting up the sequel to this soon after I've finished the Epilogue.**


	23. Epilogue

**Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story**

**Meeoko**

**Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?**

**Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Masters, Burning Rock part one and two and The Puppet Master.**

**Authors Note : Well folks. This is it – the end of 'Eventualities Are Inevitable'. I can't thank you all enough for all of the amazing support that you've given me throughout writing this fic.**

**I only hope that the sequel will prove just as popular...**

* * *

"There it is!" Katara shouted, pointing from her seat on the Ostrich-horse.

Zuko followed to where she was pointing. But already he could see the large chasm in the distance. They were finally here – The Western Air Temple.

He felt Katara hugging at his back as he nudged the Ostrich-horse forward.  
It wasn't because she was worried she'd fall off, he knew that for sure.

"Home..." she sighed, her voice was filled with something he hadn't heard before.

"Yeah...home." he repeated, though not really believing the words.

_If they're even still there..._

The dual swords clinked against each other quietly, hanging from the saddle of the Ostrich-horse. Zuko hadn't realized just how much he had missed them.  
As long as he could remember, sword fighting and close combat had been just as big a part in his life as his bending.  
They had helped him as The Blue Spirit, while he travelled through The Earth Kingdom, in Ba Sing Se and now, he had them back in his grasp again.

_Now I just need to find my knife...  
_  
Zuko had been enraged when he had found out that the Sila Vatra had simply passed on his most important possessions down through the ranks as a...a trophy!

"Zuko?"

Zuko turned his head a little in the saddle, not really bothering to hold onto the reins.

"Yeah Katara?"

"You realize that when we get back...when we have to start this all over again...I just want you to know..." though Zuko couldn't really see her face from the angle he was at, he was almost certain that she was blushing.

"Know what? What's wrong?" he asked.

For a moment, Katara remained silent. But then he felt the cool sensation of her fingers on his arm.

"I wanted you to know that, I'm sorry."

Zuko raised an eyebrow, but then realized that she couldn't possibly see his face.

"Sorry? For what?" he asked instead, making his surprise a little more obvious.

"Sorry that I judged you. Sorry for what I said. Sorry that I didn't accept you. And sorry that I got you into this whole, awful mess in the first place."

_Katara..._

Zuko pulled on the reins, halting the Ostrich-horse to a stop. Lifting his leg over the saddle, he dismounted and looked up at Katara. He held up his hand to her.  
He couldn't help but think just how beautiful she looked in the bright sunlight.

Hesitating for a moment, Katara took his hand and jumped down from the back of the Ostrich-horse. When she stood up, Zuko placed both of his hands on her shoulders, so that he looked directly into her eyes.

"Katara. I don't want you to say that ever again. You have nothing to be sorry about. Everything you did, everything you said, it was all for the best. If we hadn't been captured in the first place, then we'd never have known about this secret weapon. We would have been unprepared and the worst could have-"

His words were stopped when Katara pulled him down by the front of his shirt and kissed him.

At first, Zuko was surprised and didn't know how to react. Then he remembered exactly what his lips were for and kissed her back.  
His mind raced with sensations. Her cool body was pressed up against his own warm one. Her brown skin resting on his own pale skin. Fire Bender and Water Bender...

_Opposites attract..._he thought stupidly.

Zuko drew her in close to him, his hand resting on the back of her hair and the other on her waist.  
She felt her own hands against his chest, gripping into his shirt.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Zuko wished that he'd never taken the shirt from Chan...

When Katara finally pulled away from him, a brilliant smile crossed her face.  
Zuko realized that he was smiling back.

_This is right. This feels so right!_

"There's nothing in the world that will ever stop me thanking you now, Zuko." Katara beamed.

"Well, if you really want to uh, thank me again...I definitely wouldn't mind." Zuko grinned down at her.

A playful smirk crossed her features and she lightly hit his arm.

"If someone had told me this would happen a few months ago, I would have laughed." she said, looking at the floor with the gentle smile still playing at her features.

_So would I..._

"I guess none of us really expected...well, this." Zuko gestured to them both. "But I'm glad that it happened."

Reaching out her hand, Katara gently curled her fingers around his own and looked up at him.

"You know we can never tell Aang about this, right?"

Zuko sighed, his shoulder heaving. He had expected her to say something like that...

"I know. I expected as much. I just thought that you,well...you didn't know about Aang. Everybody else seem's to, but you never really showed any sign that you knew anything about it."

Katara bit her lip uncertainly.

"I've always had a hunch. But lately, it just seem's more...obvious."

She laughed gently.

"Maybe it's because we're all about to die in a horrible inferno of fire and brimstone."

Zuko smiled back down at her.

"Come on. After we just came through all of _that _without being able to use our bending most of the time, surviving torture, beach jerks, constantly under attack and with bounties on our heads, the Fire Lord should be a piece of cake."

_I hope..._

"Zuko. Maybe...maybe someday, when the war is over..."

Zuko was incredibly glad that she said 'when' and not 'if'.

"...then we could tell Aang. And then..."

Zuko placed a finger against her lips.

"Let's just not think about it, okay Katara? Let's just...go home."

Her gaze wavered, but the smile still remained. Putting her foot in the stirrup, Katara pulled herself up onto the Ostrich-horses back and looked down at him.  
Zuko beamed back up at her as he rose up into his place in front of her at the reins.

Katara hugged at his middle, letting out a sigh of happiness.

"I know we can't when we get back, but...just for now. Just for a little while."

"Just for a little while." Zuko repeated as he gently kicked at the Ostrich-horses flank and began moving ever closer to the great chasm.

_Closer to home...and farther away from you..._

* * *

They looked down. Everything was as they remembered it.

The tree's. The birds. The old stone ruin set upside down on the underside of the cliff.

But what worried Zuko the most was wether there would still be anybody inside of the ruins...

_What if they left? Where will we go then?_

"Katara, if they're not there..."

She linked her arm through his as they looked down.

"Don't think about that now, Zuko. Just...just hope."

They waited in silence for almost five minutes, neither of them daring to make the first move in case their suspicions were true.

_Come on..._

Then, a faint rumbling noise reverberated from the chasm walls. It grew and grew as the echo carried it up and up towards them.

Zuko felt Katara stiffen with anticipation, just as he did.

"Appa! It's Appa!" she called, her eyes glistening with unshed tears "They're still here!"

_Thank Agni!_

Katara began to move for the vines at the edge of the temple walls, but Zuko tugged her arm back.  
She turned around to look at him, her face showing worry.

"What? What is it? Is something wrong?"

But Zuko just shook his head and smiled.

"I just wanted to do something...one last time, before we go down there."

Lightly, he pulled her into his chest and kissed her. He wrapped his arms around her tiny shoulders, wishing that they would never have to do anything but stay together like this, forever.  
Katara kissed him back gently, as if she knew.

Everything was going to change once they got back down to the temple.  
There was no telling what was going to happen. About the comet, about the Sila Vatra, about them...

When they pulled away, Zuko could see tears shining on Katara's face, making her brilliant blue diamond-like eyes shimmer.

_I still can't believe I get to do that..._

"You're so beautiful..." Zuko whispered to her, stroking her hair.

"Zuko..." her voice was tiny and she looked down at the floor. Immediately, Zuko panicked, thinking that he had done something wrong.

"When this is all over..." Katara continued "..when everything doesn't just revolve around the war, or the Avatar, or even survival..."

She looked up at him, a single tear running down her cheek.

"...I'll come find you."

Zuko's heart strings seemed to pull inwards.

_You won't need to. I'll never be far away..._

Zuko smiled sadly and brought her close into a hug.

"You always come back..." he whispered into her hair.

Dimly, they could hear a shout. It was far away, but still audible.  
They looked down into the chasm and saw on the edge of the Air Temple, a small figure pointing upwards at them.

"The Duke.." Katara smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Slowly, the words began to make sense.  
The plucky young boy was bouncing up and down on his feet, the large helmet on his head slipping down every so often.

"It's them! Katara and Zuko! It's them! They're back! They're back!"

Slowly, Zuko had pulled himself away from Katara. He smiled gently at her, the bright afternoon sunlight lighting up his face. He didn't care about anything now.

He didn't care what he smelled or looked like.  
He didn't care about his honour.  
He didn't care about his throne.  
For a moment, he didn't even care about the Fire Lord.

_I care about you._

"When this is over." he whispered. The Duke's own shouting was now joined by the voices of others. "You know the first thing I'm going to do?"

Katara cocked her head slightly and frowned.

"Never ever collect firewood with you again."

Slowly, Katara's face split into a smile. It grew larger and larger on her face, lighting it up.  
Soon, she was laughing. Then Zuko found himself laughing too.

Everything that had happened fizzled away with their laughter.  
The chasm below projected their laughing voices, echoing it above and around them, like the whole world was laughing along with them.

Zuko was still laughing as he saw the first head emerge from the chasm and run toward them in a flurry of blue, arms outstretched.  
He was still laughing when Katara lunged into her brother, clasping him in the tightest, most loving hug.  
He was still laughing when Aang flew past and rushed up to them, happy tears streaming from his eyes.  
And he was still laughing when he was tackled to the ground by his favourite Earth Bender, hugging at his waist and yelling at him.

At that very moment, Zuko could have sworn that the war had ended right then and there.  
All there was was laughter.  
Peace, happiness and laughter.

_I'm home...  
_

**The End**


End file.
